


Countdown to Forever

by Living4LifesSake



Series: Lost In Love [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Dynamics, Friendship/Love, Gen, LawLu-Freeform, M/M, Wedding Planning, wedding fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:42:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 112,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28001106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Living4LifesSake/pseuds/Living4LifesSake
Summary: "Anybody who told you that love came easy was lying. It was constant work and sometimes painful yet the most rewarding and fantastic thing Law had ever done. There was nothing more that he wanted than to be able to love Luffy everyday for the rest of their lives which is why he came to the decision to take the next step forward in their relationship."-Law and Luffy decided to get hitched. Hilarity, high-jinks, hysteria and harrowing adventures occur as they try to merge their families and make their way to their wedding day.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Monkey D. Luffy & Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Series: Lost In Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951006
Comments: 67
Kudos: 125





	1. The Party

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second work of the Lost in Love series, you don't need to read the fic first since this is mostly a prequel but if you want context read Chapters 8, 13, 10, 11 and 6 of Part 1 in that order. Content Warnings will be listed in the beginning of every chapter. 
> 
> Content Warnings: Vaguely described sex scene, mentions of past traumatic events

Law stepped away from the mirror, pausing in his attempt to wrangle his hair into a semblance of order with mousse- honestly there was a reason he wore a hat most days. He carefully ran his gaze over his cultivated appearance, a bit more conservative than he normally preferred but nothing he hadn’t done before. His colleagues had no objections to his slightly more gothic style because he was that good at his job but some of the higher-ups still had traditional images of their employees which meant he had to tone it down to fit in. He had exchanged his more extravagant earrings for simple ball studs, had forgone any makeup that he normally would have applied for a formal event, and made sure all his tattoos were strategically covered up by clothing except for his signature knuckle tattoos since it wouldn't do for anyone to forget who he was. 

On an evaluating glance, he came to the conclusion that if he allowed himself a moment of vainness, he could be described as unbelievably handsome, even downright sexy. Both the slate gray suit jacket and matching slacks were tailored perfectly to his proportions- a narrow waist paired with legs that stretched miles long- the long gold lapels on the jacket were made of the same fabric as the thread lining of the popped collar and sleeves of the fine black dress shirt he wore. The gold fabric was the exact shade of his eyes, complimented his navy blue hair wonderfully and added to his roguish charm made by his well-groomed facial hair and the killer embossed black leather loafers that had a large three link chain made out of swarovski black crystals on the facing. Law figured if he was sacrificing his usual heeled style because most men couldn’t stand the fact that his already 6-foot-plus height would be boosted more with two inch heels, he would make it up by wearing a pair of shoes that were almost nine hundred dollars. 

At twenty-seven years old, he stood proud as the youngest certified specialist on staff in the most prestigious hospital in the city, and his bosses were always looking for opportunities to show him off, which was why he was dressed in a suit on a Tuesday night, to go to some boring gala and listen to speeches thanking donors and make small talk. 

He had finished his undergrad degree in biochemistry at age eleven, entering medical school the fall after which he completed at fifteen, then moved on to a residency that ended a couple months shy before his twentieth birthday, whereupon he moved to the current city, an hour and a half drive away from the rest of his family to begin his fellowship. By the age of twenty-three, he was a fully fledged surgeon, positioned in a key spot in the best hospital in the district. He originally worked as a critical care cardiothoracic medicine specialist but had pursued certification by the Board of Surgery in surgical critical care which promoted him to the title of trauma surgeon. He didn't do boring surgeries like arrhythmia and congestive heart failure nowadays, he did the 'man-with-bullet-in-heart', 'person-impaled-by-cross beam' surgeries on a day to day basis.

It was in that position, when he was twenty-four, where he was able to meet the love of his life.

Law had found him, catatonic from shock and all his injuries including a massive fourth-degree burn emblazoned on his chest, he had spent eleven hours in the operating room trying to save the life of a man he didn’t know the name of, did three more reconstruction surgeries afterwards, kept him company during his six week stay in the hospital, took him home to his tiny apartment afterward to pour out his love and care to help the emotional and physically recovery and here they were, over two years later, hopelessly enamored with each other and about to take the next step in their relationship and move into a new house they had bought together. 

As if summoned by mere thought, Luffy came striding into the bathroom from the adjoining bedroom, dressed splendidly for the evening's event in a tailored ensemble that made Law’s eyes catch hungrily. Unlike most men’s suits, this one’s black pants had wide flared legs and a mid waist that was shade matched with a dress shirt that had a charcoal suit jacket over, with a pair of black opera pumps. His only accessories were a leather belt that had a gold buckle and a pair of gold studs, and of course his straw hat, still he was radiant. 

Law would tell anyone who would listen that Monkey D Luffy was a wonderful human being: heart like a lion, soul like the sea, smile of the sun, a pure beauty of the earth. Almost three years ago he was in the hospital ward as Law’s patient, now he was nestled deeply into the fabric of Law’s life like no other person had been. 

Luffy walked over to stand beside Law, still standing in front of the sink and mirror while Law remarked, "You look very nice."

Luffy shot Law a blinding grin, "Thanks." They kissed briefly, a light peck one of equal admiration, then, "You do too."

"Thanks." Law parroted back, making Luffy laugh in that pretty way that seemed wholly unique to his being. Law decided that his hair was as good as it was going to get and walked over to the large dresser in the corner of the bedroom which contained a majority of his clothes that didn’t need to be hung up. From the top drawer, he withdrew a long thin velvet box, offering it to Luffy, “Here.” 

Wide eyes blinked up in surprise, hands reaching out but hesitating to accept, “What’s this?”

“It’s for you.” Law explained, continuing to hold out the gift. 

“It’s not my birthday.”

“No.”

“It’s not your birthday.”

“No.”

“It’s not our anniversary.”

“No.”

“It’s not Christmas.”

“No.”

“It’s not any other kind of holiday.” 

Law shoved the jewelry box into his boyfriend’s hands with a groan, “Just take it, or I’ll keep it for myself.” 

Under the threat of losing the present, Luffy’s curiosity won out and he opened the box carefully. Inside was a dainty bracelet, made of a golden chain that had an equally delicate gold bar with both ends of the chain strung through a small orb which was how the bracelet could be adjusted to fit the wrist. Luffy gasped slightly, holding it up to the light, admiring the way the gold sparkled, “It’s pretty, and so shiny.” 

"I thought you'd like it." Law chimed with a smile, taking it back so he could slide it on Luffy’s right wrist and adjust it so that it would stay on yet not fit too snugly. Once that was done, he brought Luffy’s hand up to kiss the back of his hand gently, “Consider it a token of my appreciation for giving up your evening. I know you hate things like this, but I’m selfish and don’t want to go without your company.”

“I don’t mind,” Luffy responded breezily, leaning up on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around Law’s neck, “You know I love spending time with you.” He bit his lip before admitting, “Even though you are going to have to feed me after it’s over.”

Law sighed fondly, feeling his whole body relax marginally at the warm weight in his arms, the gentle smile directed up at him like brilliant rays of an afternoon sun, the slight tickle on the back of his neck from where the dangling ends of the newly bracelet slipped in between his clothing, “I have no problem with that, the bill will probably be less than what the bracelet cost.” 

“Probably.” Luffy murmured back, capturing Law’s lips in a kiss that very quickly escalated into an outright make out session, not that Law was complaining. 

Somewhere between their exchange they find themselves moving and the back of his knees hit the side of the bed frame. It would be the easiest thing to just let himself fall backwards and let things go sideways and get rumpled, but Law is wearing a very nice suit and he doesn't have the urge to pull out his hand steamer before they go. He huffs out a breath, “We need to stop so we can leave.”

“You started it.” Luffy whined, licking at the shell of Law’s ear because he was a devious man that knew it made Law shiver, “Giving me a gift, you’re always so sweet. The sweetest.”

A part of Law squeezed at the praise but he gathered his resolve so with one last kiss, he pulled away. “I’m going to grab the car keys and my wallet. Check on the pets one more time please.”

Luffy sighed dramatically as he left though Law could hear his voice caroling from the main room as Law gathered up what he needed to leave and spared one final look at his appearance in the bathroom mirror. 

The weather was warm for mid-October so neither of them bothered to grab a coat from the rack in the entryway. Law flicked the light switch two times before he walked out, locking the door shut behind them. They walked down the hallway to the parking lot and the row of freestanding garages that stood in the middle. The apartment complex they lived in had assigned spots for residents but also offered garages for rent if you needed extra storage or in Law’s case, a car too expensive to be left to the mercy of other drivers or the weather. 

Law owned two vehicles which Luffy shared use of. His usual ride was a large van that he had gotten for his sixteenth birthday whose exterior was a bright yellow covered in black decals with the whole back having been transformed into a camper set up which he had taken advantage of on multiple road trips. The car they were taking tonight was a silver Lamborghini Aventador that Law drove to work often leaving Luffy free to take the easier-to-drive van. Law didn’t necessarily like to admit it but one of the main selling points for his second purpose was that it had those scissor doors that seemed to make a person cooler by proximity. 

Tonight, stepping out of the sports car, when they arrived at the valet, dressed exquisitely with an equally wonderfully dressed partner, Law felt ready to take on the entire world. Or a ballroom full of stiffs at the least. 

The gala was being held at a converted observatory, situated on the eastern ridge of the city with a spectacular view of the ocean front that had become the city’s number one spot for any sort of high-brow event. This was Law’s fifth time visiting this calendar year. 

Law offered the crook of his arm to Luffy as they ascended the steps to go inside, taking the opportunity to assure, "It's not a formal dinner, just hors d'oeuvre and cocktails. No need to worry about table manners."

"Yay!" He replied with a whisper cheer, relief evident in his dark eyes. Unlike Law, Luffy was still getting used to rules of the upper class and how not all gatherings were supposed to be fun instead being dredged in trivial societal niceties and pointless customs.

Inside the large space is very impressive with rich marble floors, windows all the way up the high ceiling you can see the night sky prominently beyond the drapes of string lights which provide the only artificial light in the building. The open bar lines the west wall with servers carrying trays of drinks and appetizers going back and forth between the open floor and the back kitchens. There are about two hundred people mingling around- various medical professionals and their dates plus donors and their dates.

Law took a cursory glance around the room, noting at least three people he wouldn’t mind talking to and seven people he would before determining that he didn’t want to engage in any sort of interaction without alcohol, “Let’s get a drink.”

They make it to the bar without issue and Law flags one of the bartenders down for his usual upper class cocktail, “Dry vodka martini with a twist.” He shoots at a glance towards his underage boyfriend but decides he’d take the liberty of ordering, “Give him a virgin French martini.”

Luffy flashes him a grin, having no idea what ingredients were in the drink Law had just ordered but trusting him anyway, his brow scrunches up cutely in a moment though as he asks, “How can you make a ‘dry’ drink?”

“You can’t really; you’re right, all of the ingredients are wet.” Law clarifies, “It’s just a technical term that means there’s less vermouth in it. Less sweet, more vodka.” 

When their drinks were ready, they took them and moved a few feet away from the bar so others could have access, Luffy held his glass up symbolically, “Well cheers to you, it’s cause of your smart brain that we’re here in the first place.”

Law chuckled, clinking their glasses together, “I’ll drink to that.” They stand there and sip their drinks in companionable silence while Luffy people watches and Law admires the way Luffy glows under the glittering lights, the striking image of his dark clothing highlighting the subtle curves of his slight form, how his suit pants draws Law’s eyes downwards to the flared legs and the glimpse of skin showing because of course socks were forged and upwards to the how the tailored material hugs his ass and knows that he’s going to have to distract himself with something else before it’s too late. 

Luckily, a middle aged man has spotted them and comes over, one that Law actually likes, smiling widely, “Dr.Trafalgar, it’s been a while.”

“Hello, Dr. Tegata,” Law greets back, shifting his glass to his left hand so he could offer up his right to shake warmly, “It has. How have you been?”

“Well.” Dr.Ringana Tegata adjusts his glasses with one hand, “And yourself?”

“Good.” He places his free hand on Luffy's shoulder to gently draw him in the conversation, “Allow me to introduce you to my partner, Luffy.” 

Luffy dances a bit from foot to foot, taking Ringana’s extended hand in a shake, “Hi.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Ringana says genuinely, still smiling, “Are you a medical professional yourself?”

“No way,” Luffy snorts then grins up at Law, “I’ll leave that work to smarties like you two.”

“I dragged him along tonight.” Law explains to his fellow doctor then to his boyfriend, “Dr.Tegata is an emergency medical specialist at the hospital I did my residency at, the one close to the family house.”

“Oh, fun!” Luffy exclaimed, looking at Ringana with new understanding. The three of them talked for a while, though it was Law and Ringana who did most of the talking until Law found an opportunity to excuse them. He wouldn’t mind spending more time monopolizing Ringana’s time as a way to ignore other people but he didn’t want to subject Luffy to it any longer without a break. 

Law got a refill on his drink while Luffy investigated whatever food was being passed around on trays and was scowling when they rejoined, “Why’s it the more money people have, the less food they serve?”

Law hid a smile behind his martini glass, “I wouldn’t know. Didn’t find anything substantial?”

“No,” Luffy pouted, “Nothing that I couldn’t take more than three of before the server looked at me weird.”

Law bumped their hips together, “Least you won’t spoil our dinner after.” Luffy hummed in agreement yet still seemed discouraged by the lack of food. The crowd of people congregated around the floor thinned enough for Law to get a glimpse of someone else he recognized. He took Luffy’s hand, guiding the two of them through the crowd, declaring loudly enough for the figure they were approaching to hear as they got closer, “If it isn’t the aspiring Dr.Tony.”

Tony Tony Chopper, dressed in a black suit that made him look far older than seventeen despite the bright pink bowtie, gasped at the sight of them and exclaimed at the same time as Luffy, “What are you doing here?!”

“I’m his date.”

“My professor brought a few of the students along for networking purposes.” 

Law gave a half scoff- half laugh, “Welcome to the circuit of being toted around for clout as a prodigy, I would say it gets better but here I am.” 

Luffy shoved the sleeve of his jacket and dress shirt up, proudly showing off, “Check out this cute bracelet Traffy gave me for coming here.”

Chopper awed over it appropriately before grinning knowingly at Law, “Not above bribery, huh?”

Law raised an eyebrow, answering wryly, “I don’t consider it to be bribery. It’s simply a gift that happens to coincide with his accompanying me to a work event.” 

They didn’t have time to debate the issue before there was an announcement drawing their attention toward the grand staircase that led to the upper levels where an executive board member was standing with a microphone. Law sighed, remarking to his two younger companions, “Looks like it’s starting. Get ready for the longest twenty minutes of your life.”

“Ugh,” Luffy groaned, “It’s gonna last twenty minutes?”

“It’s at least going to feel like it.” Law answered, shifting his weight into a more comfortable position. The three of them kept relatively quiet while the speech was happening, a feat considering Luffy and Chopper were whispering back and forth the whole time. When the lengthy speech was over, Law inquired about Chopper’s most recent progress in his medical degree and whether or not he had met certain individuals that were at the gala as well, pointing out ones that were encouraging towards prodigies and others who cowered at the mention. 

Eventually, Luffy grew bored, grabbing at Law’s arm so he could look at the time because Law had expressly forbidden the use of phones once they entered the building to avoid anyone giving them grief over it. Law glanced at his watch as well with relief, “We have stayed for a socially acceptable amount of time, let’s beat it.”

“Finally!” Luffy almost shouted, mobbing Chopper with a hug and a promise to text later after the teen declined their invitation to join them for dinner in favor of going back to interacting with his fellow classmates. Law had to spend a good fifteen minutes extracting them from the gala, making his rounds to say a cordial farewell to his bosses and a few notable board members until they were able to go out of the front doors they came in exactly an hour and fifty-three minutes later.

They got Law’s car from the valet stand and before they had even pulled out Luffy was blasting music from the stereo. Law rolled the windows down to let the cool night air rush through the car, the roar of the wind combining with the rumbling engine. When they got to a red light, he asked, “What are you in the mood for? Honestly I don’t feel like dining in.” 

Luffy- who was more than understanding about the fact that after having been awake since five, worked a full shift plus their stint at the gala had depleted Law’s social battery enough that now, a little after nine, he was desperate to go back to the apartment and unwind- proposed, “Let’s just get pizza by the slice and call it a night.”

“Sounds great.” Law agreed, already correcting their course to head to the selected dining location. 

The pizza by the slice joint they frequented was a favorite for drunk people and night owls alike, open till two-thirty in the morning on the weekends. On Tuesday nights, like tonight, it closed at a respectable eleven-thirty. The pizza was New York style so a single slice was enough to fill up a normal person which was ordered from the counter to be taken on a flimsy paper plate to eat on the patio or take it to go. Sleeves rolled up and suit jackets left in the car, they sat at a rickety table, sharing a bottle of orange Fanta, ranking the most interesting dressed people that were at the gala while they ate. 

Law still hadn’t finished his slice of spinach alfredo when Luffy polished off his two slices, one mac and cheese and the other pepperoni with sausage so he shoved the last bit over to his boyfriend, never being one to eat the crust. He wiped his hands on a paper napkin before squeezing out hand sanitizer from the little bottle he always kept in the middle console that he rubbed into Luffy’s hands as well, loathe to get any grease in his prized sports car. 

The drive home was uneventful and after parking the car back in the garage, they made their way inside. By the time they got the door open, Bepo, Law’s seven year old Great Pyrenees, was already waiting to greet them eagerly, squirming with excitement but well trained enough that he didn’t jump on them. Luffy grabbed Bepo’s leash from the coat rack, clipping it onto the neon orange collar, launching into a tale of their evening for their dog’s enjoyment. 

Law flickered the light switch twice out of habit, though he could see that Polar, his white American Shorthair, was watching them from on top of the kitchen counter. As he ventured further than the entryway, he was able to see that half of the slats on the right side of the living room windows were twisted the wrong way. He huffed in annoyance, directing a scowl at the cat though his complaint fell on deaf ears, "You fucked up the blinds again." 

Luffy laughed, chiming, “We’ll be right back!” As he escorted Bepo outside to do his evening business. Law fixed the blinds before slipping a hand underneath Polar’s collar to ruffle the soft fur and she arched her spine into his touch. Next, he went into the bedroom to hang his suit jacket up in the closet and sit on the bed to tug off his shoes, carefully storing them back into their box to make sure no dogs or cats got any ideas about new chew toys. 

Luffy and Bepo came back with a slam of the front door which made Law wince at what their neighbors would think but remembered they were moving out next week so who really cared. Luffy threw his jacket onto the bed which Law promptly hung up in the closet as well. Luffy flopped onto the bed on his back, swinging his legs up one at a time so he could wrench his shoes off. Law caught both of them mid-air before they hit the wall when they were chucked away nonchalantly, shaking his head at his boyfriend’s antics as he moved into the bathroom to shed the rest of his suit.

Luffy rolled back onto his shoulder blades, hoisting his torso and legs straight up in the air, hands tucked in the curve of his hips in some kind of impromptu freestanding viparita karani, “You know the night wasn’t so bad.”

Dress shirt and slacks in hand, clad in only his underwear, Law emerged from the bathroom, “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself somewhat.” He could feel Luffy’s gaze trail over his body as he hung his clothes, taking in eagerly his toned tall form, the beautiful ink that decorated his bronzed skin that was discolored in some areas- remnants of the first time the world had tried to kill him. Law turned to face him, “You’re going to wrinkle your suit if you keep lying there.”

“We’re getting it dry cleaned anyway.” Luffy’s eyes followed him as Law came to stand in front of the bed, finally dropping his legs which Law caught by the ankles. 

He leaned forward, keeping hold of Luffy’s legs, taking advantage of his boyfriend’s flexibility so they could kiss. When Law pulled away, he purred, “I believe we had started something earlier this evening that we didn’t have time to finish.” Luffy nodded in wordless agreement, breath hitching a bit as Law began to unbuckle his belt. 

He pulled the belt completely out of the loops, not because he had to but so he could have an excuse to get his hands all around the span of Luffy’s waist. He unbuttoned the button, pulled down the zipper then slid his hand between fabric and skin to undo the hook clasp that kept the pants sitting at mid-waist height. In a move he knew was teasingly slow, Law worked Luffy’s pants off, revealing inch by inch beautiful skin darkened by numerous days in the sun, the long vertical scars that lined the inside of his thighs from where Law had done a full-thickness skin graft to try to fix the gaping hole in his chest, the raised scar on his right knee that had been accrued on the same day and countless other smaller scars that had been gained over years of seeking adventure no matter the cost. 

Luffy was thoroughly worked up by the time Law got to calves, yanking his legs out of the rest of the pants, surging forward to smash his face into Law’s to initiate a passionate kiss. Law chuckled at the reaction he had caused, pulling away so he could begin to undo the buttons on Luffy’s dress shirt, exposing a toned torso with a large x-shaped burn scar- which Law had put back together both literally and figuratively- to the world. 

Luffy had come into Law’s life thin, worn ragged from overwhelming exhaustion and grief, a bud withered away, but with an environment free of worry that met his needs without question or pressure, full of patience and care, he had blossomed into a young man so full of colors and love that it seemed to pour out of him infinitely, he radiated light and warmth despite the shadows and scars that marred him. Law had never met someone so beautiful. 

In the face of such beauty, there was nothing else to do but to dive forward, to submerge himself in the embrace of the man he loved more than anyone else, to cast the shirt aside and crawl onto the bed as well so he could draw Luffy into his lap. 

One of the best things of being in a long term relationship, something that had never quite been fulfilled by his string of one night stands or brief longer stints with other partners, was having someone know your body so intimately that there was no guesswork, no fumbling that wasn’t met with laughter, any awkwardness had faded till there was nothing but a familiarity that led to deep satisfaction. You begin to understand intuitively, your partner’s desires and their tells, can unmake them and put them back like you’ve done it a thousand times before with efficiency and affection. 

On a Tuesday night where Law has to wake up the next morning at five again, they don’t bother to draw the process out, falling upon each heatedly without much more preamble, moving against each other in a back and forth friction that ends with them panting, delirious with a hazy love that makes the kiss they share even tenderer. 

Afterwards, Law hangs up the clothes like he had meant to as they get ready for bed. Luffy chatters about something interesting he saw earlier in the day around a mouthful of toothpaste which Law finds incredibly endearing in a way he never thought he would as he wipes flecks of spat toothpaste off the mirror with the glass cleaner and paper towels he keeps under the sink for that very reason. 

Bepo comes in to lay down on the dog bed they keep for him in the bedroom, Polar climbs on top of the chest of drawers to lay down in her bed and Luffy turns on the white salt lamp on his nightstand as Law turns off the overhead lights. Amidst the room cast in a soft glow, Law gets into bed before plugging his phone into the charger and turning on the ten hour long ocean waves video, not that he’ll be needing it the whole time. They both love the sound of the ocean, having grown up near the shore plus Law has found it is the best pink noise to help him sleep. 

With all that done, he settles himself into laying down fully, head against the pillows and arms waiting. Luffy turns the lamp off and lays in the span of Law’s arms so they are chest to chest, faces inches apart. They always start the night out like that, practically on top of each other to allow Law to use Luffy’s body as an anchor to hopefully coax his body to rest. Law brushes his fingers against his boyfriend’s face, caressing his cheek, thumbing lightly over the old scar, gently tickling Luffy’s nose to make him fall asleep laughing, the way he was supposed to end every day as long as Law had something to say about it. 

Despite the fact that they had gone to bed early for Law’s sake, he stayed awake far longer than Luffy, listening to the sounds of waves crashing and the evenly drawn breaths of his two pets and one lover. Sleep always eluded him: he was a raging insomniac, plagued when he was younger by traumatic memories which had evolved into a vicious work ethic that absorbed his mind when he was supposed to be sleeping. Tonight it was even harder to grasp the tendrils of sleep, what with the wonderful person, snoring lightly and warming the bed beside him, nestled so deep in his heart that in extension it encompassed his thoughts. Eventually he drifted off, settling into a dreamless slumber comforted by the fact that in his top dresser drawer there was another small velvet box waiting. 


	2. The Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There was a nervousness building inside of him, which was slightly out of character but he didn’t deem it to be anything too out of bounds for the situation he was about to willingly walk himself into. He had never been one to care about others opinions or seek out someone’s approval but in this case it was something that society dictated he seek out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to preface and say that posting times are going to vary depending on what's going on in my personal life and I know time zones are crazy but you'll get a new chapter every day within twenty four hours of the last one. 
> 
> Content Warnings: Mentioned organized crime and murder

At 5am promptly, Law woke up at the first chime of his alarm, eyes shooting open as he reached over automatically to turn it off. His body had already shook off any sleep, thrumming with a need to move that came from years of having to wake up at inconvenient times or getting punched awake from the pretense of ‘training’. Luffy continued to sleep like the dead beside him and so was Polar on top of the wardrobe but Bepo was already yawning as he stood up to dutifully accompany Law through his morning routine. 

From his second dresser drawer, he pulled out a random athletic shirt and tights as well as a pair of his running socks. He held his running shoes in one hand, his phone cradled in the crook of his arm, opening the bedroom door with his free hand to let the two of them out. He ran through his usual round of stretches in the living room then sat down on the couch to put his shoes on. He clipped Bepo’s leash on before he unlocked the front door to step out into the hallway. He locked the door behind them, shoved his phone and keys into one of the pockets of his tights as he led Bepo outside.

Bepo peed in the grass beside the entrance as Law breathed in the morning air, the day was going to be unseasonably warm once again but at this time it was perfect running weather. They only had a few more mornings to run this path before they moved and he intended to make the most of it. 

Luffy could be persuaded on some weekend mornings to accompany Law but normally it was Bepo who was his running buddy. After so many years, Bepo matched Law’s stride and pace naturally which meant that their usual four mile loop to and then through the park that was two blocks down from the apartment complex was enjoyable for both of them. 

Back in his apartment, he watched amusedly as Bepo lapped up sloppy mouthfuls of water while he drank a gatorade, turning on last night’s news report to listen to as he did his post-workout stretches. He filled both of the pets’ food bowls with their breakfast, Polar slipping past him when he reentered the bedroom to head to the shower. Luffy mumbled a half-awake greeting which Law returned with a chuckle and a kiss to his forehead before making it into the bathroom. 

Fifteen minutes later, he entered the main room again, running a towel through his hair to find a steaming cup of coffee waiting for him on the counter. Luffy was in the kitchen making breakfast like he usually did on weekdays, heating up some leftover turkey bacon and scrambling eggs, “Mornin, babe!”

“Morning.” Law hummed back, face practically inside the mug to inhale the wonderful smell, relishing in the taste of his expensive-as-shit-but-well-worth-it dark roast brew. A day wasn’t complete without Law’s consumption of at least two cups of coffee, one typically with his breakfast and another in his thermos for his commute to work. 

Luffy smiled at him from his place at the stovetop, asking, “Good run?” At Law’s nod, he trilled, “Cool! Breakfast will be ready in a bit!”

Law took the cup with him as he stalked to the closet to try and figure out what he was going to wear. Normally, he wouldn’t agonize over the choice since he was going to spend most of the day in scrubs but today, he had plans for after work and wanted to make a nice impression. He had gone so far as to get an early day off from his shift, in compensation for his selfless appearance at the gala last night after working a ten hour shift. 

A sweater vest or a leather jacket were too far on either end of the spectrum, a full on suit didn’t feel right nor did any of his fitted t-shirts. A pair of khakis would be too upkept, ripped jeans too casual. He needed an outfit that conveyed that he was both a handsome young man and was also a respectable member of society and very much not a member of an organized crime ring. Eventually, he settled on a pair of black skinny jeans with no distressing, a white button up and a light gray blazer matched with a pair of black chelsea boots. He packed his bag for work, making sure to securely put away the jewelry box that he had fetched out of his top drawer. 

He joined Luffy out in the kitchen so they could have breakfast, refilling his mug from the pot since he had drained the contents while he was paralyzed by indecision over his outfit. There were the scrambled eggs with shredded cheese and turkey bacon but Luffy had supplemented them with cherry pop tarts for himself and an apple with peanut butter for Law to make a well-rounded meal that would last Law until lunchtime and Luffy until 10. 

He kissed Luffy goodbye as he went out the front door at promptly 7:20, like he did every weekday morning, thermos in hand and satchel over his shoulder with the keys for the Lamborghini so Luffy could take the van to work. His commute to work was only twenty minutes when there was no traffic and his shift didn’t start until eight but Law was in the habit of being perpetually early as opposed to being late. 

He scanned his ID at the gate that was situated at the entrance of the parking garage for medical staff only so he could get and park before he used the staff elevator to get to the second floor where the break rooms were located. Since Law worked in the OR so often, his scrubs had to be professionally laundered which meant he changed once he arrived for a shift, donning on a pair of navy blue scrubs and exchanging his boots for the pair of oxfords he kept in his locker. 

He still had a good ten minutes before he was officially on duty so he sat at one of the tables drinking his coffee quietly before he got accosted by his usual surgical team. Shachi threw himself into the chair next to Law, hoisting his leg up to tie his shoelaces, “Second cup or third?” 

“Third.” He admitted ruefully with another sip, “Had to go to the boring gala last night.” 

“Fun.” Penguin added, leaning against the tabletop.

Law glanced at the two of them, his two operating assistants that he had met during his first shift upon arrival at this hospital and had stuck with him since, remarking knowingly. “Odd that I didn’t see any of you there.”

“I was working.” Ikkaku defended as she joined them at the table, their normal surgical technologist.

Shachi grinned deviously, “They said one person minimum per team so we did the minimum.”

Law scowled, “You’re taking advantage of me.”

Penguin laughed, “Only on occasion. You take Luffy?”

“Yes.” Law answered with another sip, “One of his family members ended up being there as well so it wasn’t a complete loss of a night for him.” It wasn’t a complete loss of a night for Law either. 

Shachi groaned, “When are you guys coming out for drinks with us again? It’s been forever.” 

“It’s been weeks,” Law corrected, “Give me a break, my personal life is accelerating at rapid speed. We’re finally moving out of the apartment into a house, which is great and all, except we have to deal with all the workings of a big move and furnishing the new place so Luffy’s having to field calls from contractors and painters and movers since I’m on till six everyday. We’ll have you over once everything’s settled.”

“Cool.” Ikkaku stretched her arms over her head, “We better get to work, boys.”

Law glanced at his watch, seeing that it was time for them to begin his morning rounds, “She’s right.” He agreed, standing up to go put his thermos in his locker for safekeeping, “Time to go show them their money's well spent.”

A little more than eight hours and another quick change later, he was pulling out of the parking garage and heading to his next location. 

There was a nervousness building inside of him, which was slightly out of character but he didn’t deem it to be anything too out of bounds for the situation he was about to willingly walk himself into. He had never been one to care about others opinions or seek out someone’s approval but in this case it was something that society dictated he seek out. 

He wasn’t doing this for himself though, he was doing it for Luffy’s sake and if Law had learned anything about himself in the last two plus years, it was that he would do anything within his capabilities for the love of his life. That was part of being in a relationship, doing what you could to make the other happy even when you didn’t partially want to or knew how, it was about trying and compromising. Anybody who told you that love came easy was lying. It was constant work, effort and sometimes painful yet it was the most rewarding and fantastic thing Law had ever done. There was nothing more that he wanted than to be able to love Luffy everyday for the rest of their lives which is why he came to the decision to take the next step forward in their relationship hence why he was pulling up at the new marine headquarters looking to talk to a very crotchety old man. 

Law pulled the velvet ring box out of his bag, tucking it into the pocket of his blazer after he put the car in park and rehearsed his talking points. Once he had gone through the necessary security checkpoints, he was escorted to the wing that contained the offices of the higher personnel. He knocked on the partially open door, receiving an answer from inside, “What is it?”

“It’s Trafalgar Law.” He replied, entering into the room.

Monkey D Garp looked up from a mound of paperwork, “What do you want, brat?”

Law’s brow tweaked at being called a brat but he smiled smoothly, using his professional ‘dealing with patients' voice, “I would like to talk to you.” 

“You’re already talking.” The older man grumbled, looking back down at his work.

Law didn’t let his smile falter, “Then I will get to the point. You are Luffy-ya’s guardian,” He was using the term very loosely since he had heard the story about how Luffy had been raised and how it was a joint effort of many different individuals but it had started with this particular man. “So I wanted to ask you for your permission to marry your grandson.” 

“Huh?” That certainly got his attention. 

“I’m his boyfriend,” Law reiterated, “I want to become his husband.”

“What the hell do I have to do with it?” Garp groused, “Not like my idiot grandson listens to me anyway.” 

“I was just asking for formality’s sake.” Law explained, pleased that the announcement hadn’t turned into a whole ordeal. 

“Whatever.” Was said as an off-handed dismissal. 

Law rocked on his heels a bit, “Alright then, I guess we’ll be sending you an invitation soon. Thank you for your time.” With that he turned around and began to leave the office again, intending on heading back to his car and getting as far away as possible. He had just gotten through the doorway and out into the hallway when there was a sound like a crashing explosion and his soon-to-be father-in-law came smashing through the wall between them, “What the fuck?!”

“Damnit Garp,” An old woman nearby snapped, “There is a door literally two feet next to you!”

“Wait a minute!” Garp bellowed, swinging out a fist at Law. He dodged the blow instinctively, ducking away, having flashbacks to his own childhood training and harrowing stories that had been told about ‘fists of love’. 

“What makes you think you’re good enough for my grandson?” Garp roared, throwing another punch.

Law dodged again, gasping out, “I thought you didn’t mind?!” 

“Just because he doesn’t listen to me, doesn’t mean I don’t care!” 

“I am not going to get into a fight with you in the middle of a military base!”

“Is he not worth fighting for?!” 

“Yes, he damn well is!” Law snapped back. He was never one to fight people with fists alone, he found it to be brutish, preferring to use some sort of blade or hell, even a gun, with neither option available, in the opening he saw- the moment when Garp’s shoulder went wide to build up power in his swing- Law kicked out viciously with his left foot to hit Garp solidly in the jaw. 

Garp’s head snapped to the side from the force of the impact, Law stood there gaping, suddenly very aware of what he just did and where exactly it just happened. “Please don’t arrest me.” He begged. 

Garp brushed off the hit with a laugh, apparently having satisfied his urge for violence and back to his happy go lucky self, dragging Law along to go annoy the former Fleet Admiral. 

Law sat in a chair awkwardly, nibbling at the rice cracker that was handed to him, listening to the two of them argue back and forth. 

“He’s still a kid!”

“He’s nineteen, he’s legally an adult. Besides when’s the last time you even saw your grandson?”

“I’ve been busy.”

“That’s not an answer.” 

“We had dinner four months ago, which was also the last time you saw him.” Law answered, inserting himself into the conversation. It was a pleasant dinner as far as dinners with your significant other’s families went, Law had sat at a table and watched with barely concealed disgust and horror as grandfather and grandson ate racks of barbecued ribs but no one had started an argument though there was plenty of yelling. 

It looked like Garp and Sengoku would debate the issue forever so he interrupted again, “Sir, I didn’t come here to collect a dowry, or worry about his eligibility for some inheritance. I don’t need anything from you.” He drew his shoulders back, straightening up in his chair as he continued, “I don’t even need to be here because he’s a grown man and we don’t need permission, and even if you said no we’d get married anyway.” When it looked like Garp was going to start talking more, he rushed to continue, “I came here to ask you if I can marry your grandson, not because of social protocol, but because he loves you and I love him, and if me asking for your blessing makes him happy, then I will come here and ask.”

“Well of course, you can have my blessing.” Garp declared, “As if I’d say no to you two after everything you’ve been through.” Law exhaled in relief, tension slipping from his shoulders that he had successfully garnered the support of the patriarch of Luffy’s family. 

The older man still seemed conflicted, “I just worry about him and all, he’s a good boy but he gets into trouble often. I want him to be happy.”

“I am prepared to devote every day of the rest of my life to doing just that.” Law promised, “He may be younger than me but I have always regarded him with the utmost respect and have never treated him as anything less than my equal. I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone else and I am very excited to get to begin this new part of our lives together.” 

“That all sounds just fine with me.” Garp said with a crooked smile that Law recognized from his grandson. 

Sengoku seemed pleased as well, asking, “So have you got a ring?”

“Yes, sir.” Law reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring box, “I haven’t gotten our wedding bands yet since I thought Luffy-ya should have a say in that. I do however have the engagement ring.” He put the open ring box on the desk, sliding it closer to the two older men to observe. It was a simple band of golden filigree that was woven together much like his favorite straw hat. 

“You have good taste.” Sengoku complimented and Law preened under the praise, “Thank you, sir.” 

Around thirty minutes later, he was walking back to his car but got stopped by someone yelling out, “Hey, sir!”

He turned around to see two young men, one with pink hair and the other with blonde, “Yes?”

“Did I hear you right?” The pink haired one questioned eagerly, “Were you asking for Luffy-San’s hand in marriage?”

Law swelled with pride, “I did.”

“That’s amazing!” The young man gaped, “Tell him congratulations for me!”

“Who are you?” Law asked with a raised eyebrow. 

The blonde one spoke up, “We met him years ago. Him and his jerk friend beat me up. It was on the-”

“I’m Koby!” The pinked haired one- Koby declared, “We’re friends! Luffy inspired me to follow my dreams!”

“That sounds like him.” Law walked away from them with a wave over his shoulder, “Have Garp share his invitation with two.”

“We will!” Koby cried out, waving back. 

The other guy finally trailed off, saying dishearteningly, “Is everyone ignoring me again?” 

“I’m not, Helmeppo-San.”

“You’re my only friend, Koby!”

His patient friend sighed, “I know.” 

Law chuckled under his breath, fighting the urge to run gleefully out of the building. There was nothing stopping him now. In a few short days if all went according to his plans, he could have a fiancé. All that was left was to ask the question and he already had a whole evening in the works for Friday to ensure it was a memorable experience. 

He made it back to the apartment at 6:30 which was around when he usually got home so Luffy was none the wiser about what he had spent the last two hours doing. Bepo greeted him at the door as he flickered the light switch. Law toed off his boots in the entryway, surveying the scene. Since they were moving in less than a week, the apartment was a half-packed messy state, some boxes already taped shut and waiting while others still needed to be assembled to be filled up with stuff. The kitchen, bedroom and bathroom were all mostly unpacked so that they were able to still be used though this weekend Law was going to get all of it ready for the movers coming on Monday. The slow cooker was going in the kitchen, filling the air with a hearty smell and music was blasting from the living room speaker. Luffy was working on packing away all of Law’s books, taking them off the bookshelf and putting them into boxes according to what shelf they came from so they could be put back in place easily when they got to their new house. 

“Something smells good.” Law said by way of greeting.

Luffy turned to face him, arms full of books, “It’s potsticker soup! I made it, though the potstickers are from the grocery store because who’s got the time to make it from scratch on a weekday.”

“It’ll be great, I’m sure.” Law complimented, walking over to kiss his boyfriend’s cheek, “How was work?”

Luffy scrunched up his nose, “Fine but sometimes I just wanna deck Cabaji in his smug face.”

“Don’t do that.” Law advised, “It’s better to just ignore them.” 

“How was your work?” Luffy asked back, dumping the books into a box. 

“Nothing too unusual,” Law replied, taking a sharpie to label the side of the box, designating it to be moved into the master bedroom, “I save people’s lives and get paid for it, it’s a good deal.”

“That’s always good. Dinner should be done by now so let’s sit down and eat, I'm starving.”

They pulled out bowls and spoons from their respective places, ladling out the soup with a good amount of pork gyoza and vegetables, taking it into the living room so they could lean up against the front of the couch, legs sprawled out under the coffee table as they ate. 

Luffy launched into a rousing story about what had happened at his job that day, including driving away a lion with a pitchfork for wandering around the stables and riling up the horses, “Then Mohji started yelling at me for ‘scaring his Richie’ and I told him that maybe he should keep a better handle on his lion because he almost got into the petting zoo animals pen and that would have been a nightmare, like already four of the goats had fainted.”

Law laughed, shaking his head, “That sounds crazy.”

Luffy laughed as well, “It’s a circus so I guess it’s supposed to be but boy, are they a lot of work.” 

They both laughed again and as Law sat there on the floor of their apartment, surrounded by boxes with a bowl of soup that both Polar and Bepo seemed very interested in getting a taste of, looking at the man he loved it seemed right to say, “Marry me.” 

Luffy looked at him bewildered, not shocked per se but surprised at the least so Law kept speaking, “We always talk about getting married sometime in the distant future. Why not make it the relative future? Let’s get married soon. I want to be married to you.”

Luffy blinked once, brow furrowing in confusion, “How soon?” 

Law let out a helpless little laugh, completely swept away, putting his bowl on the table so his hands were free, “I guess as soon as we can plan it. A few months at max.” 

“Are you serious?” Luffy questioned as he put his bowl on the table too.

Law pulled the ring box out of his blazer pocket, opening it up so Luffy could see just how serious he was, “I went and talked with your grandfather today. He gives his blessing.”

Luffy gasped, hand flying to cover his mouth, “You mean it.” 

Law shifted so he was on one knee, “I know there’s no real rush when we’ve got the rest of our lives to spend together but I don’t want to wait anymore to call you my husband. What do you say?”

Luffy’s eyes welled up with tears and Law found his own were getting wet also. “I say yes.” He said slowly, breathlessly then repeating with more enthusiasm, “Yes!” He jumped into Law’s arms, knocking them both down to the floor in utter joy, “Yes!” They kissed passionately, holding each other like there was nothing more important. 

They lost the ring in the carpet for a good minute, the glittering gold circlet mixed in with the cream carpet but once they found it Law put it on the ring finger of Luffy’s left hand where it would belong for the rest of his life. 

—

Their celebration that night was somewhat mundane in comparison to how elated they felt but two days later, after they had enjoyed the evening out that Law had previously planned to propose at the end of- which included eating cake by a fountain and a second declaration of a proposal for marriage- they had a much longer inauguration to their engagement.

Luffy was kissing up and down Law’s chest, tracing the ink that swirled there with his tongue and lips on the path to making Law get set off for the fourth time that night which he wasn’t actively discouraging but did mention, “I would like to point out that it’s 4:42am and we haven’t gone to sleep yet.”

“Oops.” Luffy giggled though the way he was teasing Law’s nipple showed how unremorseful he really was. 

Law groaned, his toes curling at the sensation, “So much for keeping some semblance of a normal sleep schedule.” 

Luffy shifted on his stomach in bed so his face was much closer to Law’s, his smile so wide Law wondered if his cheeks were hurting, “Can you blame me? It’s not everyday a person gets engaged twice.”

“I’m glad I could make you so happy,” Law hummed, looking into Luffy’s fathomless sparkling eyes, “And very appreciative of you turning that positive energy onto me except I have been awake for almost twenty four hours now and normally that wouldn’t be manageable but it’s been a long week.”

Luffy kissed his forehead lightly, saying triumphantly, “I wore you out.”

Law sighed when his fiancé’s fingers started to run through his hair, “You always do.”

“It’s a good thing it’s Saturday and you’ve got a night shift,” Luffy murmured, “Or else you’d have to start getting ready to go to work in ten minutes.”

“Lucky for me, I am an exceptional planner hence why I was going to propose on a Friday night so that there wouldn’t be any rush during the night, or the morning after.” He added in a sultry tone, intended on acting on that once he got a few hours of sleep and maybe brunch. 

“So what you’re sayin is,” Luffy tugged at his hair, a move that was partially painful and entirely arousing, “That you always thought that we’d be so excited that we’d stay up all night.”

“I thought an engagement would necessitate fanfare. You proved me right.” He punctuated his sentence with a peck to Luffy’s cheek, “Now will you please let your newly minted fiancé go to sleep. I promise I’ll wake up in time for brunch.”

“Ooh, mimosas.”

Law settled himself under the covers after turning on the ambient waves though he didn’t think he would need it as tired as he was. Luffy looked like he was going to lay down too but suddenly jerked in alarm, “I gotta tell my family.”

Law squinted at the alarm clock that read only a few minutes before five, “Now?”

“Sanji’ll be awake, he makes breakfast.” Luffy responded, dialing and turning the audio to the speaker so Law could hear the conversation.

“Hello?” The voice on the other side of the line was alert, an indication that Sanji indeed had been awake.

“Sanji! It's me, Luffy.”

“I know your voice, dumbass.” Law snorted quietly while Sanji continued, “Plus I have caller ID.” 

“How's it been going?” Luffy asked, stalling, which made Law give him a pointed look.

“Pretty alright, busy as usual, people are always hungry.” 

“Sanji, can I come over for dinner sometime?” He fisted the bed sheets with one hand, “I have some news.” 

“News? Should I be worried?” Sanji inquired, well versed in Luffy's antics. 

Luffy squeezed Law’s hand with his, the ring shining on his finger, “Nope. It’s actually kinda news for everyone.”

There was a hum on the other side of the line, “Well, tonight Brook, Chopper and Usopp and the beautiful Robin are going to the planetarium at eight but you could swing in early.” 

“So everyone else will be there?” 

“Except for the wonderful Nami, she's working tonight.” 

“Oh.” Luffy murmured, looking at Law who nodded supportively, “That's okay, I guess.”

“We're pretty much scattered the rest of the weekend and you’re moving aren't you?” 

“Tonight then.” 

“Come by ‘round 5:30.” Sanji commanded, “That’ll make sure we have time to eat and talk.”

“Kay, bye!” He hung up, practically vibrating with emotions. He looked at Law with wide eyes, “I didn’t know it would be tonight.”

“I start work at six.” Law stressed, “Can you handle doing it alone?”

“I guess I have to, since it’s now or late next week; I don’t want to wait that long.” Luffy fidgeted with his hands, still wearing both the engagement ring and the new bracelet Law had given him.

“Sorry, I can’t be there.” Law apologized, once again aware that his choice of career was a hindrance to any sort of spontaneity.

“It’s cool.” He said with a wave, “They’re my family anyway.”

Luffy plugged his phone into the charger and laid down, wiggling until he was in Law’s arms who observed, “They’re going to be my family too soon.”

“I know.” Luffy tucked his head beneath Law’s chin, “Isn’t it the most amazing thing?”

“It is.” Law agreed, kissing him one last time before slipping off into a blissful slumber. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys can reread Chapter 20 of Part 1 if you want to see the second proposal but it's not necessary. The rest of the Strawhats are coming to town tomorrow and we've got tons of more characters peppered throughout the rest of the fic to have fun with. 
> 
> By the way, Happy Hanukkah for those who celebrate it. I wanted to post this story now because I thought we should all end this year with a whole lot of love. Hope you've enjoyed!


	3. The Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Good morning, my lovely fiancé. Wow, I am loving getting to say that out loud. Anyway, I was just about to wake you because I did promise you brunch and I intend on being a man of my word."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that Nami is at work so she won't be making an appearance this chapter. We've got some backstory to tell too. 
> 
> Context Warnings: Past mentions of depression, child abandonment

By the time Luffy woke up, Law had already left the bed. He was really bad at cuddling in the mornings, always ready to get up and go, which Luffy didn’t mind most of the time since he knew Law was busy but sometimes he would really like to be able to just lounge in his partner’s arms at the start of the day more than once a week. 

Bepo, who had taken Law’s space in the bed beside Luffy, looked up from the rubber bone he had been chewing, tail thumping against the mattress as a good morning. Luffy rubbed one of the soft floppy ears between his fingers as he sat up, taking his phone from the charger to look at the time- 11:24, about six and a half hours after he had gone to sleep. 

Law came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and shaved, hair blown dry and strikingly handsome with only a loose towel wrapped around his waist, the rest of his body on full display. “Good morning, my lovely fiancé. Wow, I am loving getting to say that out loud. Anyway, I was just about to wake you because I did promise you brunch and I intend on being a man of my word so we’ve got reservations in an hour.”

Luffy bounced up and down on the mattress, giddy, “We’re going to a fancy brunch and not just the diner?”

Law leaned against the doorway, grinning, “I’d like to reiterate that I did make plans to exploit my evening shift so yes, we’re going to splurge a bit in celebration.”

Luffy flopped back onto the covers with a sigh, “I think I’m going to like being engaged.” 

“I’m glad you’re enjoying the benefits that come with the ring.”

Luffy hurried to get ready, going through his morning routine on speed-run putting on a navy blue ruffled crop top with a matching pair of high waisted wide-leg pants that he pulled Law’s gray blazer from yesterday over plus a pair of red sneakers. Law was waiting for him, wearing a black long-sleeved bodysuit that was tucked into his golden corduroy pants and a pair of black wedge boots. 

They made it to their reservation on time, a nicer restaurant that they frequented for dinners and brunch on special occasions when they wanted something more formal than their usual spots but still casual enough that they could enjoy themselves. They got their mimosas, a regular one for Law and a virgin one for Luffy which they toasted with though Law did order an espresso as well. 

Luffy was looking over the menu, trying to figure out exactly what he wanted when Law propped his chin on one palm, the fingers of his other hand rapping against the tabletop, “You can get the french toast if you want it.”

Luffy looked at him with wide eyes since Law despised almost every kind of bread product and by extension Luffy didn’t eat any normally when he was around Law, which was a shame because he really missed having sandwiches late at midnight, “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Law stated, taking a sip of his mimosa, “You always get pancakes or waffles, but I know how much you love it. Go ahead, I’ll be fine.”

Luffy put the menu down with a beam, decision made, “Thanks, honey.”

One of the things Luffy enjoyed about being with Law was that he never made Luffy feel bad for eating a lot, no matter how much the bill was. Law always waved it off, saying that people had different metabolism rates and he knew that Luffy finished whatever he ordered so it wasn’t like any money or food was going to waste. Plus between his rich family and his high-paying career, he could keep Luffy in groceries for years easily. 

Luffy’s french toast was made with cinnamon swirl bread coated in cornflakes and fried, topped with blueberry jam, mascarpone cheese, fresh blueberries and powdered sugar that he drenched with maple syrup. It was absolutely incredible, as was the three egg omelet he had that was filled with beef tenderloin and jumbo lump crab meat along with a whole bunch of vegetables. The way Law was looking at him over his own frittata made Luffy feel gooey inside, and his ring was sparkling brightly in the sunlight. 

They had both changed when they got back into the apartment, Law pulling on more comfortable clothes and Luffy into something that was more family friendly, exchanging the oversized blazer and crop top for a graphic t-shirt. 

They spent the whole rest of the midday packing then arranging the filled boxes into groups based on what room they were getting moved into at the house, chatting about everything and nothing at all as the hours passed. 

Luffy had to be at the family house at five-thirty and while Law’s shift was scheduled to start at six he wanted to stop by the office supplies store on the way to work to get something that he had declared very important so he was leaving the house first. As they parted in the doorway, Law brushed a hand down Luffy’s back comfortingly, looking down at him, asking once again seriously, “You going to be alright?” 

“Yeah.” Luffy kissed him on the lips lightly, reassuring, “Everything’s gonna be fine.” 

Law smiled back at him as he left the apartment with his bag slung over his shoulder and keys twirling nonchalantly in his hand. Luffy didn’t realize exactly what keys Law had in his hands until it was time for him to leave and the keys that were waiting for him in the little basket they kept on the kitchen counter were not the ones he expected. He whipped out his phone to call Law urgently, distressed since he knew better than to be late to one of Sanji’s dinners.

Law picked up on the fifth ring, which meant he hadn’t made it to work yet and was probably still in the car, “Hello?”

“You took the van!” Luffy whined, stomping his foot in dramatic effect though Law couldn’t see it. 

He could hear the radio getting turned down on the other end as Law explained, “I always take the van on the weekends: on Fridays so I have room for the groceries, on Saturdays because my shift gets out so late that I take the van to avoid the cops’ attention by driving a sports car.” 

Luffy groaned, “I needed the van tonight. I have to go to dinner!”

“Take the Lamborghini.”

“I don't like to drive that thing.”

“How else are you gonna get there? It’s too late for me to turn around and make it to work on time.”

Luffy rubbed a hand through his hair vigorously, “It’s so expensive it makes me worry about anything happening to it. I’m pretty sure that car costs more than the house I grew up in.”

“I’ve seen pictures of that house and you’re right but it’s fine. We have insurance. Just don’t run over anybody, don’t hit anything and don’t try to park anywhere the spot is too tight.”

Luffy whined again and he could hear Law sigh, beginning to say patiently, “Dear, you're late already, I bet. Neither one of us has time to argue about this anymore.” 

“You're right.” Luffy admitted with a drawn out sigh.

“I usually am.” Law chimed, “Now, I have to go, baby. Don’t throttle the car, text me how it goes and I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast.”

“Bye.” Luffy said plaintively. He glared at the keys but took them begrudgingly, heading out to the garage. It wasn’t that he couldn’t drive the car, it was just that he didn’t like to, even though the van was bigger it was easier to drive in his opinion and already had several dents and scrapes from years of use. The Lamborghini, however, was practically spotless since Law kept it in the garage, often washed and detailed by professionals. 

He had managed to get the car out of the garage and the apartment complex’s gated area without incident though he almost jumped out of skin when he got onto the first real road and the car’s motor revved, responding to the slightest touch of his foot on the gas pedal. A few minutes into the ride, he forced himself to relax his shoulders and take a deep breath. Luffy had been to the family house plenty of times, considering he had lived there before he moved in with Law so the whole rest of the drive his mind was free to stress itself out. 

Here’s how the story went. 

His parents had ducked out of the picture pretty quickly, leaving him in the custody of his grandfather who then put him in the care of Makino. 

She treated him like her own child. They spent most of their time in the bar and at night slept in the same bed in the tiny apartment that was upstairs. She taught him how to read and write though he didn’t do either very well at first, let him run little errands around town for her so he felt useful, hid him away when the patrons got rowdy, comforted him when the other kids in town didn’t want to play with him because he was too rough. His grandpa came by every now and then to check on him and ‘train’ him which led to Luffy gaining a lot of memories he wished to block out but sometimes he would carry Luffy in his arms and that made things seem alright. 

The longest period of time his grandpa stayed away was when Shanks came into town. He had brought a whole crew of people with him, intending on just passing through the area on business except he wandered into Makino’s bar and was captivated by the pretty bartender and the little boy she was looking after. For a year and a half, he and his friends visited for varying lengths of time, bringing fun and stories of a world bigger than Luffy could ever imagine. After the incident that caused Shanks to lose an arm, he gave Luffy his hat and promised to see him again some day when Luffy was older. 

When Garp finally came back to check up on him, he thought Luffy was going to turn into some kind of delinquent so he was snatched out of Makino’s arms and carted off to the mountain to be put in the care of bandits, which was ironic to Luffy in hindsight. He had met Ace then and soon there was Sabo too, they grew to tolerate his presence, learning to like and finally love him until eventually they declared themselves brothers and he was never supposed to feel alone ever again. 

Ace and Sabo treated each other like equals but Luffy was always their baby brother. It hadn’t taken them too long to settle into a routine- that was briefly interrupted when Sabo had been stolen away from them and came back covered in burn scars and surprisingly a job with Luffy’s dad who wanted to use his family connections to infiltrate the upper class; Sabo had negotiated a deal with his parents so he could still live with his claimed brothers but still go to school and ‘fulfill his destiny’- life had been good up until Ace had turned seventeen and decided he was going to go explore the world and Sabo joined up with Luffy’s dad full time, meaning Luffy was left on his own again. He had considered staying with Dadan or going back to Makino but had decided that he was going to find Shanks since fourteen was way older than seven. 

He had left his island, taking the ferry to go to the mainland for the first time in his life. Upon arrival, he had run into Koby and a few days later both of them found Zoro. Luffy was immediately drawn to him, he had never met another person who knew him so instinctively, they didn’t even have to speak to each other most times, just knew how the other person felt or what crazy shit they were about to do. 

They had left Koby to follow his dreams and set off for adventure, wandering around, never really getting lost because they didn’t have a destination in mind. In a few short months, Luffy had found the rest of family, strangers that he had discovered along the way and knew without question that they were meant to be his. The nine of them had ended up under one roof together, living on top of each other but very happy. 

His grandpa had found him there eventually, threatened to throttle him and drag him back home until Luffy had shouted right back that he was home. He hid behind Franky and Zoro while Robin talked to his grandfather, getting him to agree to let Luffy stay with them as long as he finished school. When his brothers got wind of what had happened, they came over often to visit and he went to visit them too, learning about the lives they had chosen to lead as adults. 

Everything had been going great for three years, they would go on adventures on long weekends and the summer, Luffy was always meeting new people, he was safe and taken care of, surrounded by people who loved him. He had graduated high school and the whole world was open for him to take by storm.

Then the fight happened. It had been the most dreadful argument Luffy had ever had in his life and in the aftermath he had run away from them, ran out in the middle of day without his phone and with nothing but the clothes on his back. Everything went to hell after that.

The hospital was cold and every part of him hurt, especially his chest that was a raw gaping wound much like his weeping heart. He had never felt such agony before inside and out. He lost himself so completely, he couldn’t figure out or hope that he would ever be able to get back to who he was. In the face of the vortex of his emotions, he had decided against returning to his family. For a whole year and seven months, he didn’t have any contact with anyone he loved before what had happened.

But there was Jinbe and Rayleigh and there was Law and that was enough to keep him alive. He had left the hospital with Law, met new friends, got a job, put the pieces back together and somewhere along the lines fallen in love. 

Luffy returned to his family with Law on his arm and was met with bittersweet joy. Since then he had gotten back into a rhythm with them, coming over often to hang out, texted back and forth with various members throughout his normal week, gotten his own house key once again. There were some moments where everything felt wonderful and like no time had passed but then there were other jarring instances that reminded him they had all changed so much, none more than himself. 

This was one of those times. He had no idea how they would react to his engagement and that made him nervous. They loved him, they were his family, on a fundamental level they should be ecstatic to hear that he was going to get married to someone who loved him.

Except the problem was, they didn’t love Law, he wasn’t sure if they even really liked him more than a friend at this point. 

They had tried to get him to break up with Law and move back in with them the night he had told them they were dating. They had said that Law was too old for him and he had been manipulating Luffy when he was vulnerable and wouldn’t listen to what Luffy said until he wanted to plug his fingers in his ears and scream. They didn’t talk for another two weeks after that until Luffy stormed in and said they were either going to deal and be nice to Law or he was going to walk out and never come back because it wasn’t hypocritical for them to say Law was a bad person without even knowing him. They had agreed, amending their behavior from downright hostile to a wary acquaintanceship. 

Things had gotten better in the past couple months, Law was charming and did his best to be as non threatening as possible, striking up a genuine budding friendship with a few of Luffy’s family but Luffy was worried that his latest news would initiate a relapse. 

After that first disastrous reunion, he had read online articles and forums about how to get your family to accept your partner despite differences, read horror stories of families being divided over relationships and absolutely didn’t want it to happen to his family. There was a time when he would have done almost anything if it meant making his family happy but the days of him sacrificing his own happiness for anyone’s sake were long over. Breaking up with Law, forfeiting the life full of love he could live was not an option.  He would tell them about his engagement and if they hated the idea, he was going to get married anyway, damn the consequences.

He pulled up to the driveway at 5:40, hopping out of the car as soon as the scissor door swung open, apologies already spewing from his lips, “Sorry, I'm late!”

Franky and Usopp were doing something with Franky’s motorcycle in the open garage and both seemed impressed at the sport’s car. 

“Nice car, Luffy-bro.” 

“Where’d you get that?” 

“It's Traffy’s second car,” Luffy explained, triple checking that he had locked the car, “He took the van to work.” 

Usopp wiped his hands on a rag, “We’re about finished here, you can go on it.”

Luffy wove carefully through the cluttered garage to get to the door into the house, trying not to upturn boxes of seasonal decorations or step on any sharp tools. (Neither he or Zoro were allowed in the garage by themselves after that time they had accidentally knocked the metal shelf holding all the sorted screws and nails over which led to hours of cleaning up and resorting.)

The garage door led to the hallway all the bedrooms were down so he announced himself loudly as he entered the living room, “I’m here!”

Chopper and Robin, who were both reading on the couch, and Brook, who was at the piano in the corner, looked up with a delighted surprise to see him come in from the other entrance. Chopper tossed his book aside, running over to hug Luffy, despite having seen him on Tuesday night, therefore making him the last family member to have face to face contact with Luffy.

Robin, after inserting a bookmark into her book and placing it gently on the coffee table, stood up to greet Luffy with a hug as well. Luffy relished her embrace, leaning up on his tip-toes to kiss her cheek since she was only an inch shorter than his Law and very tall in comparison to him. 

Brook was even taller yet it was Luffy who ran to greet him so the older man didn’t have to stand up, hugging Brook while he continued to sit at the piano branch. “How has your week been, Luffy-San?”

He flopped down on the bench beside Brook, swinging his feet, “It’s been awesome! Chopper told you how we saw each other at the gala, right? Well it turns out, that was the least exciting thing to happen all week!”

“You’ll have to tell us all about it over dinner.” Robin prompted, “It should be ready soon.”

“For sure! You’re never gonna bel- mmph!” Was all he managed to get out before he was plucked off the bench by a pair of strong, familiar arms to get the breath squeezed out of him. He squirmed, laughing, twisting around so he could face Zoro who squeezed him again in reprimand, “You didn’t come in through the front.”

He threw both arms around Zoro’s neck, hugging back, “The garage was already open.” Zoro’s responding chuckle whuffed in his ear and tension melted off Luffy at the sound. 

The two of them headed into the kitchen to grab dishes to set the table and Luffy noticed with a grin that Zoro and Sanji seemed to glare at each other in that way that meant they were on each other’s nerves again, “What are you two fighting about?”

“He wouldn’t let me drink.” Zoro grumbled, grabbing plates violently from the cabinet.

“I needed it.” Sanji hissed back without turning away from the stovetop.

“For what?” Luffy asked, interested since Sanji’s preferred vice was smoking not drinking.

“For dinner,” Sanji explained, exasperated, “The pork chops needed to be soaked in a salt water and bourbon solution and despite there being a whole cabinet full of liquor, the idiot had to go after the one thing I needed.”

“You could’ve used something else!”

“You could’ve drunk something else!”

“It sounds yummy,” Luffy interrupted, “What else is there?”

Sanji seemed to brighten up, “Macaroni and cheese, a garden salad, rolls, roasted brussels sprouts, red and sweet potatoes. I thought you might need a well-balanced meal. How you two survive is beyond me.”

“I’ve only triggered the smoke detector three times!” Luffy retorted in defense. 

“A miracle.” Sanji shot back with an exaggerated roll of his visible eye, “You said you had good news too so I thought we’d celebrate. I made an apple walnut cake with a warm spiced glaze.”

“What good news?” Zoro demanded, scowling. 

Luffy shook his head, “Wait until we sit down for dinner.”

“Which is now,” Sanji ordered, “Hurry up and set the table. I’ll kick your ass if this food gets cold.”

“I’ll kick your ass.” Zoro muttered as he carried the plates into the dining room.

After they had all migrated to the table, served themselves plus carried on the usual conversation for a bit, Usopp turned to him, “How's Torao?” 

A smile came to his face automatically at the mention of his fiancé, “He’s good! He works hard but he's home a lot and I don’t mind since he’s out saving lives. Actually, um,” He cleared his throat, glancing at his lap suddenly feeling nervous again, “He asked me to marry him,” He held his left hand up so they could clearly see the ring, “I said yes. Please be happy for me.”

"Of course we are." Robin assured with a warm smile.

“Congratulations are in order then, Luffy-San.” Brook said, lifting his teacup in salute. 

The others followed quickly and he tried not to flush too brightly, almost dizzyingly relieved that they were showing nothing but positivity. 

"He needs to come over for dinner." Sanji declared as if they hadn’t met Law several times before, “Schedule's clear next Sunday.” 

“Sunday,” Luffy hummed, thinking over what they had planned in the next week beside moving, and whether or not Law was on call that day, “Yeah, I think we can swing that.” 

When they had finished the rest of their dinner and dessert, the four that were heading out got ready to leave. Chopper adjusted his hat, grinning, “We're going to the planetarium to see a history of the universe.”

He giggled, it was just like them to go do something nerdy like that, “Sounds fun.”

“Do you want to come?” Robin inquired, always considerate. 

“I would,” Luffy said regretfully, “But I gotta get home soonish to let Bepo out or he’ll pee in the litter box which is less messy than anywhere else ‘cept Polar gets pissed when he does.”

He followed them to the door and waved from the porch as they piled into their SUV, “Bye, guys! See you next Sunday.” 

“Congrats again on your engagement!” Chopper cried out. 

“Come over soon and we'll talk wedding planning!” Usopp crowed. 

“Oh, yeah!” Luffy replied, pumping a fist in the air.

He got another slice of cake from the kitchen, wrapping in a napkin then went out into the backyard to sit by Zoro on the patio swing. They rocked back and forth in silence until Zoro asked, “Have you told your brother yet?”

“No,” He admitted, kicking his heels as they swung, “Traffy asked my grandpa, cause my dad doesn't want anything to do with me.” 

“He would want to be at your wedding.”

“I don't know. Maybe.” 

“I bet he would.”

Luffy turned to look Zoro head on, “Are you happy for me?” 

“Said I was.” Zoro responded, looking out to the pool, eye tracking the small waves caused by the wind. 

It was true that Zoro had congratulated him though he had been quiet afterwards, “Yeah, but…”

“But what?” Zoro looked at him finally, “You’ve been with him for a while. Makes sense, you’d get married.”

Luffy searched Zoro’s face for any sort of tell, “I just wanna be sure that you‘re okay with that.”

“It’s your life.”

“But you’re a big part of it.” He huddled under Zoro’s arm, “You know that if I had like a pyramid and people were ranked based on importance or whatever. How much I cared about them or loved them, valued their options and crap like that, you’d be right at the top with my brothers and Law.” 

“Would I be above the shit cook?” Zoro asked, only half-joking. 

“Yeah.” Luffy answered, “But only when it’s not Christmas, because he makes the best food during Christmas.”

Zoro shrugged, “I guess I could live with that.”

“And you can live with me marrying Law?” He interrogated. 

“Yes.” Zoro agreed, “I might miss the spur of the moment adventures.” 

“We can still do that.” Luffy promised, not willing to give up on that part of his life either. 

“He can’t come. I’m not gonna be a third-wheel.”

“Fine.” Luffy complied, “It’ll be just you and me.” Then amended, “Maybe Sanji sometimes, cause he gets jealous.”

Zoro snorted, crossing his arms over his chest, “That’s what he gets for being so high maintenance.”

The back door swung open and Sanji came out hissing, “You talking shit?!”

Zoro bristled, leaping off of the swing, “The only way you could have heard that was if you were eavesdropping!”

Sanji didn’t back down though he had obviously been caught, “The window was open anyway!”

“You were listening to us!”

“Only cause dumbass carries!”

“I’ll cut your ears off, see if you eavesdrop again!”

“See who feeds you then!”

“Chill, bros!” Franky yelled from the living room. 

Luffy laughed the whole time, shooting Law a few texts to update him on the evening’s events for his fiancé to read whenever he got a break on his shift. 

—

A few hours later as Luffy was getting ready to go to sleep, Bepo snuggled up on the bed beside him and the tv playing Hocus Pocus since it was getting close to Halloween, his phone chimed with a response from Law. 

_ I wasn’t too worried, I know how much they love you. It’s why we get along: our common denominator is loving you. Got to run. Sleep well, I’ll bring back breakfast. Love you.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes when you love someone, your perception of them gets skewed. In this case the Strawhats had a hard time recognizing Luffy was an adult and was fully capable of making his own life choices when he told them about Law. They're all working on it. 
> 
> We've got another two people to tell about the engagement tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed!


	4. The Surprise Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law shook his head reproachfully, “I still don't understand how you can drink something so sweet so early in the morning.”  
> Luffy mimicked Law’s tone to shoot back, "I don't understand how you can drink something so strong so early in the morning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Past mentions of depression

Law’s overnight shift ended at 8am which meant Luffy’s alarm was set for 8:15 so he would be ready to greet Law with a smile whenever his fiancé came home. Today, Law arrived closer to 8:40 since he had stopped to grab them breakfast on his way back. 

Normally Luffy would just say good morning to Law and drag him into bed to sleep after an all nighter but they didn’t have that luxury today since they had to finish all of their packing today for the move tomorrow. 

Law didn’t look any worse for the wear after his shift, his body far too used to functioning at high capacities with low amounts of sleep, though Luffy was planning to get him to sleep for a while as soon as all of the chaos of the move was over or at cuddle on the couch for a few hours without interruption. 

Law pulled out a cup from the drink holder he carried, handing it over by way of greeting, “Here's your vanilla matcha smoothie.” 

“Thank you!” Luffy exclaimed, taking an eager sip. It was the frozen drink Luffy normally had when he went out to places for breakfast since Law made it clear that the only coffee he was ever allowed to touch was when he passed over Law’s cup. 

Law shook his head reproachfully, “I still don't understand how you can drink something so sweet so early in the morning.”

Luffy mimicked Law’s tone to shoot back, "I don't understand how you can drink something so strong so early in the morning." With a coy smile to show he was teasing. He wasn’t afraid to have a smart mouth every now and then, not that his family would believe it. 

Law dropped the two paper bags he had brought home onto the counter, "I brought breakfast burritos and chips."

"Great!” he cooed, already grabbing plates from the cupboard, “Cooking is tiring, especially on a weekend morning. I mean, who wants to wake up and do all those dishes?”

They sat on the floor in front of the couch, hunched over the coffee table to avoid making a mess and falling prey to pet scavengers. There were breakfast burritos to be eaten, a variety of eggs, meats and cheeses wrapped in warm tortillas and the tortilla chips were hot too, freshly made and perfect for dipping in salsa. 

“How was your shift?” Luffy asked, remembering to finish chewing before he spoke.

Law hummed around a bite then swallowed, “It went well. I don’t mind the rare graveyard shift every now and then.” Before they met, Law had worked the night shift almost exclusively for two years, much preferring the less populated hospital halls after visiting hours were over and being on call for any emergencies. He had switched to day shifts only a few months before he had saved Luffy, finally reaching a limit on having the work all night only to be forced to do things during the day as well since society revolved around a diurnal schedule. “It reminds me of my life before you, which wasn’t nearly as pleasurable as it is now with you, but it had its high points and I wouldn’t change it in retrospect.” 

“Funny,” Luffy mused, “I think the same thing.” He had been perfectly content until he had met Law and learned that things could be so much better. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy before, it was just like he had unlocked a new level of happiness, one that permeated every aspect of his life. 

Law stood up then to go rummage through his work bag, “That reminds me, you know how I went to the office supply store last night?” He removed something out of the bag and brought it over to place it on the coffee table. “Check out what I got. 

Luffy stared at the item, trying to figure out if it was some sort of trick question but couldn’t think of anything else to say except the obvious answer, “It’s a big binder.”

Law patted the white binder proudly, “It’s a three-inch, three-ring 600 sheet binder with a tear resistant spine and edges. I also got a set of multicolored dividers.”

Luffy sucked on the inside of his cheek, not sure what was so important about all that, “It’s nice.”

Law faced him eagerly, “It’s for us to plan our wedding in. It should be big enough to hold everything. We can use the dividers to separate what we put in: budgets, schedules, seating charts, whatever.”

Luffy looked at the binder with newfound appreciation, seeing all the dreams that could be kept in there, heart melting, “You got us a binder so we can plan our wedding. Honey, that’s so cute.”

Law shrugged, trying to be nonchalant, “You know I’m a slut for organization.” That made Luffy giggle as he leaned forward to kiss Law in a show of appreciation for his thoughtfulness. They made out for a bit, forgetting about their breakfast until there was a knock on the door causing Bepo to surge to his feet with a bark, heading towards the door to ward off the intruder, “Were you expecting someone?”

“No.” Luffy answered, getting his phone off the coffee table.

“Neither was I.” Law stood up, stalking to the kitchen where he kept a gun stashed under the kitchen sink.

Luffy was alarmed at the escalation of events, “It could be a neighbor.”

“Or it could be someone trying to attack us.” Law pointed out, checking to make sure the gun was loaded. They both had a lot of enemies but Luffy didn’t think anyone would actually show up at their apartment to try to kill them. He wasn’t worried if someone did though because both of them were strong enough to handle themselves.

Law glanced out through the peephole then sputtered, putting the safety back on his gun and tucking it into the waistband of his pants so he could open the door wide, “Do you not know how to text?! I almost shot you.”

There was a boisterous laugh as a very tall man came into the apartment, hugging Law and patting Bepo on the head, “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been under friendly fire.”

Luffy jumped to his feet, running over excitedly to join in the hugfest, “Cora!”

Law looked up at his pseudo-father with a grin, “What are you doing here?”

Rosinante kissed Luffy on the cheek, squeezing him in a hug, “I thought I’d come congratulate the happy couple in person. And my son might have mentioned that he was stressed over the state of his current move so I thought I’d come lend a helping hand.”

“That’d be totally cool.” Luffy said, arms wound around Cora’s neck and feet dangling off the ground with how tall Cora was, “We’ve got breakfast burritos if you want some.”

Law grinned wryly, “I bet you’re just using us as an excuse to get away from the house and the rest of those freaks.”

Rosinante gave a mock groan and a roll of his eyes, “Don’t get me started on all of them. I brought one of the trucks so we can load up and take a few trips with some of the stuff so this place doesn’t feel so cluttered.” 

“See,” Law declared pointedly to Luffy, “I got my penchant for organizing somewhere.”

They finished off their breakfast which included the almost comical sight of Rosinante sitting cross legged by their coffee table. Luckily it would be the last time he had to do such since they had bought a large dining table for the new house that was already waiting. Afterwards, they started to load up taped boxes in the bed of the pickup truck, taking trips back and forth between the apartment and the parking lot, talking as they did so and Bepo trotting alongside them as they went. 

At one point Law and Rosinante were telling Luffy about when Cora had been teaching Law how to drive and the many heart-pounding moments that had come with the experience, laughing and teasing as they did an animated retelling. He looked at the two of them, so obviously loving to each other that anyone could see it. 

Luffy thought about how since the moment Rosinante had met him he was nothing but warm and inviting, accepting Luffy into his life without hesitation because his son cared for him, how he always made sure to keep up with Luffy beside his times spent with Law, how he had driven an hour and a half to come over and help them move because that’s what family did. Rosinante had been a fervent supporter of their relationship, he was the first member of Law’s family Luffy had been introduced to, he had counseled both of them on issues when they needed advice with a loving patience, he was the first person they had told about their engagement, sending a selfie of the two of them with Luffy wearing the engagement ring on Friday night only a few minutes after it had happened. 

Luffy thought of the one person in his life who was equivalent to that role, who was supposed to be over the moon with joy for Luffy and Law and how that person didn’t even know they were engaged. “I’m gonna go tell my brother.” 

Law looked over at him in concerned surprise, “Are you sure? You don’t have to go alone. We can do it another day this week.” 

Luffy shook his head, suddenly fueled with a rush of passionate energy, “No, he needs to know now.”

Law’s eyes scanned over his face before he acquiesced, “Alright.” 

“Is that okay?” He looked around at their half-moved apartment, “I mean, I don’t want to bail on you.”

“No,” His fiancé assured, “It’s fine. Go on. I’ve got Cora to help.”

“Yes,” Rosinante agreed, “Don’t worry about it, take all the time you need. We’ll take this first trip and get lunch. It’ll be a good time for me to give Law a stern talk about proper husbandly etiquette.” 

Law rolled his eyes fondly since Cora had never been married himself and had no grounds on which to give that kind of advice, “We’ve got it handled.”

Luffy kissed Law quickly on the lips, hurrying to grab his shoes and wallet. “I’m taking the van!” He informed, plucking the keys out of the basket as he went out the door. 

By the time he had arrived at his brother’s little cottage house on the outskirts of town, his courage had flagged enough that he sat, parked in front of the house, debating back and forth internally about whether or not to actually go up to the front door. 

In theory it should play out the same way as it did with his family last night. Sabo would be happy to hear that Luffy was engaged and Luffy would have worked himself up over nothing, but their relationship had been touchy ever since Ace had died. First, there was the whole Luffy refusing to see any of his family and after they had reconnected they could only go about three hours before they got into a fight about everything that had happened. Sabo had been polite to Law and they had met a few times but not nearly as much as Luffy wanted since their schedules didn’t align often. 

Sabo had texted Luffy on Wednesday that he was going to be in town till next Tuesday, having gotten off of a two month assignment undercover somewhere and needed to debrief. He had originally thought about asking if they could have dinner sometime over the weekend but had never put any thoughts into action with the whole getting engaged and moving thing taking up most of his time. 

It was eleven-thirty on a Sunday so hopefully Sabo wouldn’t mind if he had a surprise lunch with his baby brother. 

He got out of the van, locked it behind him and trooped up the porch steps to knock on the front door. Seconds later the door was opened and there was his big brother. He was golden haired and incredibly handsome, despite the fact that he had burn scars dancing across his skin. He was smarter than most people and had a fierce personality tempered only by courtesies that had been drilled in his head. He looked at Luffy, standing on his doorstep with a touch of confusion, “Luffy, was I expecting you?”

“No.” Luffy murmured, staring up at him.

Sabo shifted his weight from one boot clad foot to another, “Well, I just got out of a meeting so good timing.” 

They stood on the front porch awkwardly, trying to find other things to look at beside each other. Both of them were still so bitter about Ace’s death, Luffy’s involvement in it, Sabo’s lack of involvement. Sabo, as always, made an effort to be civil though, “How are you?” 

“Good.” Luffy breathed out, “I got engaged.” 

Sabo blinked once with wide blue eyes, then smiled, “Come in.” 

Luffy did that, hugging his brother tightly once they had gotten inside. “So engaged?” Sabo said conversationally, leading him into the living room.

“Yeah, to Law.” 

“I would hope it would be your boyfriend and not someone else.” 

“It happened a few days ago.” 

“You could’ve called.”

“This is kinda in person news.”

“I agree.” Sabo sat on the couch, patting the place beside him for Luffy, “A few days though.”

Luffy sat down, kicking off his sandals so he could curl his legs up to his chest, “I would’ve called if you were out of town but you were here so I thought I’d come and tell you face to face.”

Sabo took his hand, looking at the new ring that adorned it, smiling softly, “Pretty ring. Suits you.”

“Thanks.” Luffy murmured, squeezing Sabo’s hand that still held his, “Sabo, I wasn't at your wedding, but I want you to be at mine.” He had missed Sabo’s wedding at the courthouse because it had been during that period of time when they hadn’t been talking. They had both apologized for it, Sabo admitting that he should have never done it without Luffy and Luffy confessed that he regretted staying away so long. That hurt still lingered sometimes, just another thing that Luffy had missed out on when he was grieving. 

Sabo gave him a serious look, “You need me to walk you down the aisle?” 

“No, dummy,” He swatted at Sabo’s shoulder playfully, “We're probably gonna get married at the justice of the peace, then having a big party.” 

“Sounds like you, I’ll be there.” Sabo pulled up the calendar on his phone, “When do you think it’ll be?” 

“Not for a few months, I guess.” Luffy answered. Law had said as soon as possible but he didn’t think it would be anytime in the next month since that kind of stuff needed a lot of planning ahead. 

“Let me know soon. I‘ll try to get off assignment.” 

“Come, and bring Koala, okay?” 

“Okay.”

“Where is she?” Luffy asked, looking around the house for any sign of his sister-in-law. 

“Working.” Came the blunt reply. Luffy bit his lip, he knew better than to ask about their work. Even though Dragon was his father, Sabo knew him way better than Luffy did and had been working for him since he was a pre-teen. Luffy hadn’t even had an actual lengthy conversation with his father in his whole life. He knew his dad was on the wrong side of the law which was why he stayed away but he wished sometimes to be able to know the man who had helped bring him into the world. 

Sabo didn’t seem phased, having dodged questions about his personal life and work the whole time he had been working for Luffy’s father, “So are you happy?”

“Yeah, I love Law and everyone else and things are going good. Though I'd like to have a better job.” He had been working for Buggy for over a year now and sometimes he was ready to put someone’s head through a wall, or maybe his own, or both honestly. Plus there was that whole fact that admitting to people you worked at a circus was pretty lame in comparison to his fiancé’s profession. It wouldn't be so bad if he was a performer and had a talent to showcase yet he couldn't even do that, working as a stablehand. (He was pretty good with the trapeze and aerials but the loud noises and pyrotechnics meant he couldn’t stand shows.)

“I could get you one.” Sabo offered since he was the chief of staff and could very easily put Luffy to work. 

“One that lets me stay at home.” Luffy amended. Sabo’s job had him going all over for various lengths of time, rarely staying in the city more than a week or so before he was off to a new place to try and overthrow the government. 

Sabo chuckled, “I could not get you a job like that.” He shook his head before looking back at Luffy, “I’m really proud of you, you know that? It’s amazing how far you’ve come.” A gesture to the house at large, “How we’ve both come. It's been a long journey but we’ve made it to something stable.” He nudged Luffy with his shoulder, “Can you believe we’re both going to be married? That’s two out of three, not bad percentage wise.”

“I wondered if he would have gotten married too.” Luffy mused, twisting the ring on his finger. 

“I’m sure Ace would’ve found a partner someday if he wanted. It’s not like he didn’t have plenty of options.”

It felt like someone had dropped ice down his shirt with his stomach bottoming out at the same time, “What do you mean?”

“I mean he was handsome and bi so it was mostly just his own hang ups that kept him from having a long term relationship.” At the bewildered expression on Luffy’s face, Sabo straightened up, “He never spoke to you about it? I guess that might not have been something he’d want to talk about with his kid brother but I’d thought he would at least come out to you.”

“No. But…” Luffy’s cheeks grew hot, hands started to shake as his mind raced to replay past conversations and actions, “I thought, we both always…” 

“I know,” Sabo interrupted with a nod, “We all did when we were younger.” 

Luffy nodded too, thinking back on cold nights and warm bodies, of rainy days and brilliant smiles, of a love so encompassing that the loss of it had destroyed them, torn a rift in their relationship so deep that it had almost separated them completely. Sabo reached out and stroked Luffy’s cheek with gentle fingertips, “We were so close.” He gulped suddenly, like he was fighting back emotions, “What happened to us?” 

Luffy sniffed, leaning into the hand, “Our trio became a duo.” 

Sabo laughed wetly, and for a moment Luffy thought they could go back to the way things were before. They huddled together in silence before Luffy mustered the courage to ask, “How’d you find out?”

“He talked to me about it and he was never really subtle about it. Afterwards,” Sabo paused for a second with a soft anguished sigh then recollected himself, “There was this guy who came over and dropped off a manuscript about their adventures, told me that Ace had said I wanted to be a writer and so the guy thought I’d want to read it. It was a little graphic at times to say the least.”

“Oh.” Luffy honestly didn’t know if he wanted to read about Ace’s personal life like that.

Sabo didn’t seem to notice, “You can read it if you want. I still have it somewhere.” 

His hands curled into fists in his lap, “Who was he?”

His big brother leaned back into the couch, a golden eyebrow quirked, “The guy? I can’t remember his name exactly and he used a pen name on the book. I remember that he had blue hair but he could’ve dyed it since.” 

Luffy didn’t know any man that had blue hair in Ace’s life. Though he guessed he really didn’t know everything about Ace like he thought he did. The idea stung, tearing into barely healed hurt and making the scar on his chest seem tighter.

Sabo glanced at his pocket watch, “We should make lunch. We don’t have much, since we’re away so often but I did buy some bread 2 days ago, so we could have grilled cheese.”

“Please!” Luffy begged, “Law hates bread so I can never have any of it in the apartment.”

Sabo stood up with a stretch, “That’s an interesting thing to have an aversion to.”

“Yeah, he’s weird,” Luffy agreed, sighing with an equal amount of wistfulness and adoration, “But I love him.”

Sabo ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it like he always did to make Luffy smile, “That’s all that counts then.” 

They were still getting everything prepped when the front door opened and Koala breezed in. Her eyes widened for a moment when she caught sight of Luffy then narrowed slightly, smiling politely however her tone had an edge pointed at Sabo, “I didn’t realize we were having a guest.” 

Her husband tossed a hand up helplessly, “He just showed up. It’s not like I could turn him away.”

“Sorry.” Luffy apologized, not wanting to get Sabo in trouble. 

“No, it’s fine.” Koala soothed, her demeanor turning much more friendly as she came over to hug him, “Hi! How have you been?”

He hugged her back happily. He had never had a legally ordained sister before Sabo married Koala and as far as sisters went she was pretty great. She was never afraid of a fight and she loved his big brother so Luffy couldn’t complain. 

“It seems like Luffy here will be joining us in the marriage club.” Sabo remarked, turning his attention back to the lunch preparations. 

“What?”

Luffy held out his hand for her to see his ring, “Law proposed to me, two nights ago.”

She gasped excitedly, looking at it in glowing admiration before she whirled back on her husband, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

“He just told me today!”

“You could’ve texted me!”

“I didn’t know what you were doing exactly and you’ve told me not to text you at work unless it’s an emergency.”

“This was a good emergency.”

“Those don’t exist.”

“In your opinion!”

“So in my judgement, I didn't think it warranted a text when you were just going to find out when you got home anyway.”

Luffy listened to the two of them, bickering with barely concealed affection, wondering if he and Law would be like that someday. He wouldn’t mind it. 

Together the three of them made then ate their grilled cheese and spent a good hour afterwards just talking as they sat at the dinner table, catching each other up on their lives. Eventually Luffy decided it was time to head back. He said his goodbyes to Koala and Sabo walked him outside to the van. Luffy hopped into the driver’s seat and rolled down the window of the passenger side so Sabo could rest his elbows on it and lean his head in, “Now that I think back on it, Ace had a thing with a blonde guy.” 

That was something Luffy could work with, “A blonde guy?” 

“Yeah,” Sabo scratched at his head thoughtfully, “He had a weird hairstyle so I remember him. I met him at the gravesite once.”

His mouth went dry, “You visited?” 

“About a year ago, I would’ve invited you but you were missing in action.” Sabo’s eyes got that raw pain that Luffy recognized in his own when he looked in the mirror sometimes, “It was nice, they really treated him well. You should go sometime and say hi.” 

Luffy thought he would have to be dragged to go and visit the place where his brother’s body was rotting but he didn’t say that outloud. Instead, he grinned at his big brother, “I’ll see you soon, okay? You gotta come and see the house when we’re unpacked.”

“We will. Don’t forget to send pictures though.” Sabo leaned further in the car to brush a hand through his hair again, “I love you, Lu. Try to stay in touch or else I stress myself out about whatever trouble my kid brother gets himself into.”

“I will.” Luffy promised, “I love you too.”

“Blonde.” He muttered to himself as he drove. Sanji had blonde hair, Cavendish had blonde hair, Killer had blonde hair, then it clicked and he was an idiot for not realizing it sooner. 

When he got back to the apartment, Law and Rosinante had finished another two trips to the house and back which meant they could actually see the floor again. Rosinante left then, leaving so he could make it back to the family house in time for dinner, kissing both Law and Luffy on the cheek in farewell. 

Luffy helped Law pack up the van for the third and final trip of the day, carrying boxes of stuff that didn’t need to be unpacked right away which they put in the second guest bedroom to be out of the way. 

As they locked the front door behind them, Law took a moment to stand in the front yard, “Tomorrow night, we’ll be here for keeps.”

“Wow.” Luffy said in awe, looking up at the beautiful house that was gonna be all theirs. He didn’t think it had hit him yet about how he was starting a whole new chapter in his life. 

As they both climbed into the van to head back to the apartment, Luffy inquired slyly, “What are you doing Friday nights?”

Law glanced at him as he put the van into gear, “You know I normally get off work at four.”

“So nothing planned?” Luffy clarified.

Law shrugged, “Nothing definitive just going to the grocery store on my way home then we normally do something out of the house. Why do you ask?”

Luffy giggled, unable to keep it a secret anymore, “I signed us up for dancing lessons.”

Law looked at him incredulously, jaw agape, “You what?”

Luffy bounced in the passenger seat, “Friday nights at 7 to 8:30. It’ll be fun.”

“Lessons?”

“We have our first dance to practice for.”

“Group dancing lessons?”

“It’ll be time for just you and me. It’s a different type of date night.”

“Willingly dancing in public,” Law stressed, “With the lights on and no alcohol?”

“Please.” Luffy begged, eyelashes batting, “For me?”

Law stifled a groan, losing the battle almost immediately, “Fine.”

Luffy cheered at the victory, laughing at the scowl Law sent his way as he stated, “I don’t know why you don’t wanna do it. You dance really pretty.”

“Thank you.” Law shook his head at the road in front of them, “But then I ask, why do I need lessons?” 

“Because I do,” Luffy admonished, “And it’s a coupley thing to do.” 

Law snorted, drawling, “Well, in the face of that logic.”

“Yay!” Luffy cheered again, “It’s gonna be great! Just you wait, we’re gonna have so much fun, and if we don’t it’s only like ten weeks so who cares?”

“Ten!” Law practically shouted, “What the fuck are we going to be learning for ten weeks?” He groaned, looking up at the sky, “Ugh, you are so lucky we’re getting married because if you were just my boyfriend I would not be cool with this.”

Luffy knew that if Law really had an issue with them taking dance lessons he would address it which meant most of this conversation had been a show for appearances’ sake so he was more than happy to play along, “Well I got a ring on my finger and there’s no take backs so you’re stuck with me and our dance lessons.” 

Law took one hand off the steering wheel so he could hold Luffy’s, golden eyes glowing in the afternoon light, smile warm and fond, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Messed up my own timeline in Pt 1 when I wrote that their dance lessons were twelve weeks instead of ten weeks but it's fine. I will always think it's funny that in this AU Law owns two cars but no actual table to sit and eat at so he has to sit his tall ass on the floor. 
> 
> We've got a lot going in tomorrow's chapter, I'll see you then!


	5. The Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law had gotten in touch with a real estate agent, sent her a list of all his requirements for location, price and house specifics. They had toured three houses and within seconds of stepping into the fourth one, he knew they had to have it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like to preface this chapter by saying that in America we call the ground floor the ‘first floor’ so their house has two levels, classified as a two-storeyed house. Also in most of our houses the washer and dryer are in their own smaller room as opposed to the bathroom. Law’s salary alone qualifies them as upper middle class so a large house is expected even if it's only for two people currently.
> 
> Content Warnings: Just a lot of interior design

Law had lived in his one bedroomed apartment for over six years now and it had served him well. He had chosen it for its proximity to the hospital without having exorbitant monthly rates and had fulfilled all his needs including a garage to put his sports car in, a dog park that Bepo could enjoy and neighbors that minded their own business and didn’t try to be overly friendly with him. It was a nice apartment complex whose residents- most of which were families, not bachelors like himself- stayed for longer periods of time instead of a revolving door of people moving in and out. 

He didn’t mind the lack of space due to him not being the type who entertained friends at his place, preferring instead to go out and the fact that he was the only person who lived there, that had changed when Luffy had moved in for the long term. At first, it wasn’t a big deal, Luffy didn’t have a place to go after being released from the hospital, Law had offered his couch, they stored his possessions in two plastic chest of drawers that they stacked on top of each other in the corner. As months went by, Law’s affection for his houseguest grew and so did Luffy’s amount of possessions. By the one year mark of their meeting, they were officially together so Luffy had moved from sleeping on the couch to sleeping in the bed with Law and in the time since things had gotten cramped. 

The apartment lacked proper space for a couple to grow or do anything with more than one person as a guest. As talks of long term goals including getting married had come up, Law had decided it was time to move onwards and upwards; they needed at least one guest room, definitely more than one bathroom, maybe an office and certainly space for a dining room table and a big backyard. He wanted to get away from sharing walls with neighbors and having to put Bepo on a leash every time they took the dog out to pee or continue having Luffy feel like he didn’t have a space of his own in the place he lived. He wanted a home that had been made by them as a couple, where they could paint the walls and decorate as they wanted with new furniture. 

He had gotten in touch with a real estate agent, sent her a list of all his requirements for location, price and house specifics. They had toured three houses and within seconds of stepping into the fourth one, he knew they had to have it. 

It was a newly constructed house in a brand new neighborhood that was being built in the area that was in between the worker’s district and the docks, it was also twenty minutes away from the hospital Law worked at just from another direction and it didn’t add more than five minutes to the drive to get to Luffy or Law’s family house. It was a bit farther from where Luffy worked but he never drove during the morning or evening rush hour so it wasn’t a huge problem.

It was a three bed, three bath 3440 square foot two-storeyed house that had a two car attached garage that’s door led into the laundry room in the front which made the front yard smaller but they had a good sized driveway and a large yard in the back which more than made up for it. On the first floor was two guest bedrooms, one which had an ensuite bathroom and the other that didn’t but there was another bathroom right next to it, both of which had decent closets and floor space. The rest of the main level was an open floor plan, with a living room along with an informal dining area adjacent to the kitchen and large walk-in pantry that was right next to the laundry room. There were double french doors on the west wall that lead out to the backyard. The staircase led up to the upper level which only had the master suite and an office which was fine since that floor was going to be for Law and Luffy exclusively. 

Technically the house had been theirs to move in to for the past two weeks but Law had decided against it because there was still a lot of work to do upfront at the house and they didn’t have to be out of the apartment until this Wednesday which meant that the construction team was able to work without bothering them and they didn’t make things more difficult for the construction team by having them maneuver around their stuff. Work had finished on the house on Friday as planned, plus all of their new furniture had been delivered and assembled so things were all set for them to move in. 

They had both taken the day off from work and were up and ready by the time the movers came with both pets securely in their crates to keep them from getting underfoot or worse escape while the door was open. Law hadn’t accumulated a ton of furniture since he had moved out but it was enough that he didn’t feel like trying to move things on his own with Luffy nor did they possess a vehicle that was capable of hauling what furniture they did have. He could have rented a moving truck but at that point it was just easier to hire a team as well so he didn’t have to stress about driving such a large vehicle. 

It was only a team of two people but they were well trained and highly efficient, meaning their stuff was loaded into the truck in less than an hour, certain items wrapped up in sheets of bubble wrap to make sure it didn’t get damaged. The house was a thirty minute drive from the apartment, and they followed the moving van in the Law’s yellow van, full of other stuff. They were going to have to make a second trip later in the day to get the last bit of their things, the pets- who had been freed from confinement and left to entertain themselves- and Law’s Lamborghini but they weren’t going to need the movers for that. 

Luffy unlocked the front door when they arrived while Law typed in the code to get the garage door to roll up. None of their old furniture was going into their new master bedroom so Luffy carried boxes from their van up the stairs as Law directed the movers about where to bring things. Their old queen mattress, bed frame, nightstands and tall chest of drawers was going into the guest bedroom with the ensuite bath, the entertainment unit was moved into the other guest bedroom and the couch and two freestanding bookshelves were going up into the office. The low coffee table was put in its rightful place in front of their new couch in the living room space and that was all the furniture Law had in his apartment. Both the tv that Law had in the bedroom and the one in the living room were put in their new spots. 

Next they all moved boxes to their labeled rooms and by lunchtime Law had paid the movers for their service including a hefty tip and they were left alone in their beautiful new house. 

All the floors except for the bedrooms and bathrooms were natural hickory hardwood. The bedrooms were carpeted in a light cream and the bathrooms were floored in a black polished marble with natural white veining. The downstairs walls and the office had been painted a light gray but the master bedroom had been painted a dark charcoal. The longest wall of the great room was made to be the focal point, split in half horizontally and both sides were randomly painted with rhombuses in varying shades of gray, gold, white and black arranged so that none of the colors matched up. That was where the fireplace was, with the tv positioned over it and they had shelves hung up on either side. 

Their brand new couch was far larger than the previous one they had, facing the fireplace and tv, it was gray, L-shaped, with deep enough seating that both of them could lay down on it comfortably side by side. The large woven rug underneath it and the coffee table was cream and gray, soft to the touch and stain resistant. They had a black dining room set placed near the doors to the patio, an eight seater table with cushioned chairs. 

The kitchen was situated against the eastern most wall, all appliances were silver and black, the base and wall cabinets were white with silver handles topped with white marble, contrasting to the black subway tile backsplash. The large black island situated in the middle of the area was also topped with white marble that had four stools on one side with a built in wine cooler and rack on the other side. The walk-in pantry had floor to ceiling shelves on all three walls and Luffy was very excited to get to fill it with food. The laundry room was outfitted with a brand new washer and dryer, it was also where they were going to set up both of the pet crates because it was a convenient and warm place to store them in. 

The stairs leading to the upper floor were wood too and so was the hallway that led to the two rooms on the floor. The office had hardwood floors though it was covered by a large rug, their old couch was leaned against one wall now to be used as alternate seating, plus they had set up Polar’s scratching post and one of Bepo’s numerous dog beds to encourage the pets to be with them in the room. Law had bought them a long desk to share since neither of them ever had much work to do at a desk but he wasn’t opposed to buying one in case they needed it. He had gotten two different desk chairs to go with it, an upholstered swivel chair for Luffy and one for himself that was able to seat his tall height comfortably. Law’s old bookshelves were now where he was going to store all of his work files and medical books though there was plenty of free space on the shelves to also showcase some of their small baubles or miscellaneous collected items. The office was now going to double as the workout room so Law had made sure that there was a wide open floor space, there was a small weight rack in the corner which was were Luffy’s rolled up yoga mat was going to go as soon as they could find it amongst all the boxes. 

They hadn’t fully furnished or styled the guest bedrooms or gotten stuff for the other bathrooms but the master bed and bath were ready for use. Unlike the two bathrooms downstairs, their bathroom had two sinks and the bathtub and shower were separate with a large drop in tub with whirlpools jets and a walk-in shower with a two-in-one shower head, both covered in the same black marble tile as the rest of the bathroom. Another special feature of the master bathroom was that they had gotten a urinal installed beside the toilet. Luffy had argued for it saying that since it was only men in the house and they were the only ones who were supposed to use the upstairs restroom anyways it wasn’t like anyone else would know, Law had caved buying a water efficient one that was wall mounted and touchless. 

The master bed was a thing of beauty, three of the walls painted a charcoal gray and the fourth one that their bed was leaned up against was painted in muted ombre hues of blue and gray like the ocean on a stormy day. (The two special walls in the house had been painted by Usopp on commission.) They had both gotten new matching nightstands as a set with their large black posted bed frame. They had seriously upgraded their bed, changing from a queen to a california king sized mattress, one that had a wireless remote that allowed for split side control of head lift, foot lift, and varying types of body massage. At the foot of the bed was a long rose gold velvet tufted ottoman which had been chosen by Luffy as a pop of color, Law had approved of the chic design. The tv was set on the opposite wall in a tall media console that had drawers for movies and shelves on either side so they could store their large collection of books and movies. At this time they didn’t have any other furniture in the bedroom but Law was sure that would change eventually.

The huge walk-in closet was something straight from Law’s dream, the back wall was covered in built-in cubbies for shoe storage and two opposing walls had two bars for hanging clothes from at different heights. One of the first things he was planning on doing was organizing the whole thing.

They spent most of the early afternoon unpacking their bedroom and bathroom to enable them to get ready for bed easier when it was time instead of going hunting through boxes for their toiletries. They got an early dinner on the way back to the apartment since neither felt like hurrying to unpack the kitchen to cook and it was easier to eat in on the way there then have to deal with eating it on the way back with Polar and Bepo in the car. 

Once they arrived, they took a few more trips out to the car to clean out their fridge, freezer and cabinets, putting whatever needed to stay cool in an ice chest. Law let out a long drawn out sigh as he shut the back doors of the van, “Let’s agree to not move again for the next, at least, twenty years.”

Luffy took the popsicle he had been eating out of his mouth to say, “Deal.”

They went back into the apartment a final time to get the pets. Law was going to drive home with the Lamborghini and Bepo riding shotgun while Luffy would have Polar in her carrier that they had already carted out to the van. Law did one last sweep to see if they had missed anything and finding nothing, stood there in the entryway looking around at the empty apartment. Luffy came to join him, Polar tucked under one arm and Bepo on his leash in the other hand. Law took Polar from him, holding the deaf cat to his chest so she could feel it as he spoke out loud, “This is it. I’ll be back again tomorrow to turn in the keys but our life here has come to a close.”

Luffy stroked Bepo’s large head methodically as he agreed, “It was good.”

“It was. Though I am looking forward to what comes next.” Luffy looked up at him with a laugh, leaning up so that they could kiss sweetly. Law flickered the light switch twice out of habit, smiling to himself as he closed and locked the door behind them.

They spent, what felt like, every free second the rest of the week unpacking boxes and getting things organized to their specifications, it was just as tedious as packing everything up except they got to fold the boxes up to stash in the garage instead of watching them pile up. 

By Thursday night, the house finally started to feel like home then the weekend came around and with it the first dance lesson. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I expect to spend the whole chapter talking about their house? No. Do I regret it? Nah, I felt like it was important to set up their house layout since it's gonna be one of the main settings for the rest of the series. Sorry that the chapter doesn't have much action the problem is it was going to be way too long if I didn't cut it here so look forward to the first dance lesson and family dinner Pt 2 with the Strawhats tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed!


	6. The First Dance Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had gotten an email earlier in the week, asking them to bring a different pair of shoes to wear inside the studio so that the dance floor could be kept as clean as possible. Law had taken it as an excuse to buy new shoes for both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I headcanon Law as bisexual and Luffy as panromantic demisexual, they tease each other about this in the chapter but it's all in good humor. 
> 
> Content Warnings: Smoking, mentioned murder, indoctrination

Law put the van into park when they arrived at the dance studio, turned to give one final plea even though he knew it was pointless since the lessons were already paid for, “Why do I have to give up my Friday nights?”

Luffy laughed, pulling down the sun visor so he could check out his appearance in the little mirror, “People go dancing all the time!”

Law did the same, running fingers through his hair, “Dancing in clubs, but not a damned dance class.” 

“We can get dinner after.” Luffy offered, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting ready to hop out of the car. 

Law rolled his eyes, since there were two cards in Luffy’s wallet and both of them were to Law’s accounts, “Dinner I will be paying for.” 

Luffy stared him down, swinging the door open, “Honey, I love you, but get over yourself.” 

Law opened his door as well, conceding, “Fine.”

Luffy swung the backpack they had packed by one strap, “This is gonna be fun!"

They had gotten an email earlier in the week, asking them to bring a different pair of shoes to wear inside the studio so that the dance floor could be kept as clean as possible. Law had taken it as an excuse to buy new shoes for both of them. For Luffy there was a new pair of jazz sneakers, that were comfortable and allowed for foot flexibility for the heel and toe separately. Law had bought himself a pair of black ankle boots with a three inch square heel which he thought would be a good height to start with. He was planning on increasing the height and decreasing the width of the heel as the lessons went on and he got more comfortable dancing. They both had worn clothes like the email had advised that wouldn’t restrict their movement. Luffy had on a pair of fitted mint green joggers and a gray fitted t-shirt while Law wore a pair of black athletic tights and an olive green jumper. 

They entered the dance studio and followed the signs taped on the walls to get to a large open room that had scuffed hardwood floors and a wall of mirrors that had a bar running across the length of the wall. There were a few other couples milling around the area and Law groaned internally again to having been coerced into agreement. There was probably going to be a lot of small talk going on throughout the weeks, something that Law loathed. 

Luffy led them confidently to a purple haired young woman who had a tablet in her hands, waving at another couple that walked away from her, “Hi!”

She smiled at them warmly, “Hello! Did you two sign up online?"

“Yeah! I’m Luffy and this is Law.” He grabbed Law’s arm excitedly and Law waved a bit in greeting.

“I’m your instructor, Pascia.” She pointed to a blonde man nearby that was talking to another couple, “That’s Byron, he is the assistant instructor. It’s nice to meet you two.”

Luffy rocked on his heels, “Nice to meet ya too!”

“It’s a pleasure.” Law said, shaking her hand, never one to let his personal feelings affect his interactions with people doing their jobs.

“So we’re going to get started in a bit, just want to make sure that everyone has time to get here. You can change your shoes and leave your bag and whatever else you don’t want on you near the door.”

They both did as instructed, exchanging their casual shoes for their new dance specific shoes, put their stuff in the backpack, minus their phones which we shoved into Law’s pockets for safekeeping. 

They had finished by the time Pascia made her way over to them, “So you guys are our only same sex couple, you can switch out week by week but it makes things easier if one of you stays in the lead during a whole lesson. Which one of you is going to lead today?” 

For a second, they looked at each other until Law decided, “I will.” 

She smiled at the two of us, “Okay. So Luffy you just follow along with Bryon and Law you’ll go with me.” 

Luffy rounded on Law as she left, “You don’t think I can lead?” 

Law set a calming hand on his shoulder, “I think you’ll step on my foot if you do.” 

“I’ll step on your foot anyway.” He shot back, stomping his new shoes on the floor. 

Law swatted at him playing so Luffy skirted away laughing, not paying attention and stumbled into a thin blonde woman who had happened to be walking behind him. “Hey!”

Luffy whirled to face her, hands held up sheepishly, “Sorry!” 

“That was my fault.” Law added, smiling in apology, trying to diffuse the situation.

The girl flicked her eyes up and down the two of them then sniffed haughtily, “Don’t let it happen again.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Law assured. Things would be more interesting if they were able to fight other couples, they would win that fight for sure but now wasn’t the time or place. 

Her partner walked over then, a man ever taller than Law surprisingly, “Any problem?”

“Nope.” Luffy responded with a coy smile, “Just a little fun on the battlefield.”

“Whatever.” With a huff the two of them walked away.

Law narrowed his eyes, leaning close to Luffy so he could ask, “Did we just make new mortal enemies for the foreseeable future?”

“Yep.” He replied, popping the ‘p’, dark eyes glittering as he watched their new foes, “We can totally kick their asses.” 

“But can we do it dancing?” Law inquired, arms crossing resolutely, “Guess it’s a competition. And I always aim to win.” Luffy knew that Law never did anything half assed and cheered. Oh, they were going to dance.

When their two instructors called for attention at the front of the room, Law scrutinized their competition from the corner of his eye as they were led through stretches on the dance floor. They seemed to be engaged as well since Law could see the diamond on her ring finger from a few feet away but couldn’t see any band on her partner. They must make an interesting couple, what with her lemon shaped earrings and his refusal to take his sunglasses off even though they were inside and the sun had set outside already. By the end of the stretching where they moved into an upbeat tempo song to loosen them up, Law had found out that their names were Mikita and Gem. 

Once they had finished warming up, Pascia ran them through the basics of how they would give out instructions and some terminology so there wouldn’t be any confusion before moving on to the instruction of this week’s dance style. 

They were doing a foxtrot, a smooth traveling dance done in 4/4 times where the first and third beats were emphasized more than the second and fourth beats. Pascia and Byron demonstrated the dance, where they took two steps forward/backward respectively on a beat each, followed by one step to the side where they held the position both done in a half beat. All four beats were repeated before there was a direction change. The extension was supposed to come from the knees and the calf muscles with a focus on keeping the torso still so the motions didn’t look jerky. 

It reminded Law of a waltz though it was more of a ‘slow, slow, quick, quick’ and jazzy. After Pascia and Byron had run through it a few times they were allowed to practice as their own couples. It didn’t take Law too long to feel the rhythm of the song that was playing and keep tabs on other couples to make sure he didn’t run them into anyone without worry. Luffy, however, was like a board against Law, “Would you relax? You’re too stiff.” 

His brow was furrowed in concentration, tongue stuck out as he tried to count their steps, “This is harder than I thought.” 

Law tried to ease up, to make himself seem more relaxed and kept his movements smooth, “It’s just like whenever we dance at home, all you have to do is follow me and the music.” 

Luffy raised his gaze from their feet to Law’s face with a soft smile, “Our kitchen dancing is going to be next level after this.”

“For sure.” He led them through another direction change, “I admit, I had my reservations about doing group lessons but it was smart to make sure we were familiar with more traditional dancing. We wouldn’t want to embarrass ourselves on the big day.”

“We have to choose the most kickass first dance ever.” The last class of their sessions was supposed to be a performance of whatever first dance they were going to choose which they were going to work on the dance throughout the upcoming weeks to get advice and make adjustments.

Law nodded engagingly, “I’m thinking at least one lift. We both have acrobatic backgrounds, let's put it to good use. When else are we supposed to show off?”

The talking was doing Luffy good, he was following Law’s movements easier, forgetting what was supposed to be happening and just letting it happen. Pascia came whisking by them, smiling, “You two are doing really well.”

“Winning.” Law whispered triumphantly just to hear Luffy laugh. 

—

At six on Sunday, Law once again was parking the car, but this time it was the Lambrogini and they were in front of Luffy’s family house. Law was glad that they had been able to enjoy their Friday night together because Luffy had to work a longer shift on Saturday to make up for missed hours over the week and Law had his usual Saturday night shift meaning that their time together had been severely limited. Law had crawled into bed with Luffy when he returned from his shift at eight that morning and they had slept together till one, waking up to have a late lunch and start on their laundry until it was time to head over for dinner. 

For a dinner with his fiancé’s family, Law had chosen a white fitted shirt half tucked into a pair of dark wash straight legged jeans with rips only over the knees, and a plain black hoodie with his usual black ankle boots. It was non threatening, all neutral colors with no decals or designs yet still highlighted his form and felt like something he would wear on his own.

Luffy, in his peach sweatpants, red t-shirt and sandals had teased him as he exited out of the scissor doors “You know you don’t have to dress up like that.”

“I tailor my outfit to the situation, you know that.” He grabbed the wine carrying tote carefully from the trunk, “I have to look conservative to work which means polos and slacks, I’d get laughed out of the club if I showed up like that so I’ve got ripped jeans, fishnets and thigh highs. Can’t wear that to work out in so I’ve got athletic clothes. I feel like sweatpants are too baggy, meaning I wear tights only outside of the house or joggers. Don’t want to wear an explicit shirt to the bank, it’s neutral clothes. It’s an art form, maintaining a style image. Every situation demands a different attire, so does tonight’s dinner.”

They strolled up the walkway together to get to the front door, “But it's just my family.”

“Exactly, it’s your family so I have to keep making a good impression. At least until we’re married.” He amended, “After that it’s all fishnets and sweatpants.”

Luffy snorted as he rang the doorbell, “You’re such a bi disaster.”

“Least I’m not a pan prima donna.” He teased back, swinging his right leg up behind his left to kick his newly-minted fiancé playfully in the ass. 

Luffy giggled then shoved his shoulder in retaliation. Normally this would be fine- they liked to roughhouse around with each other, Luffy was a very tactile person, they were constantly touching in all different degrees of intensity- except Law hadn’t quite put his right leg back down on solid ground and the high heel of his left got caught in a crack of the pavement, completely taking him off balance so the shove that was powered with Luffy’s far-beyond-his-size impressive strength which meant Law was taking a less than graceful tumble into the bushes right as Nami was opening the door. 

She scowled at them, remarking dryly, “Do I need to call a domestic abuse hotline already?”

Luffy was half in the bushes himself to try and help Law to his feet while sputtering apologies but Law waved the incident off, laughing in a mix of embarrassment and hilarity, “No.” 

Luffy practically lifted him out of the bushes since Law’s hands were full trying to save the wine from sliding out of the tote, setting both of his feet solidly on the ground. The manhandling gave Law a headrush of indignation and arousal, a dangerous combination right before he walked into a scenario that would react very poorly to any sort of noticeable indicators. 

Nami took Luffy’s left hand up in her’s without preamble to examine his ring, “Eighteen?”

“Fourteen,” Law answered, “He bangs around too much for a softer karat. I’d rather not have it brought it into the shop every other day.”

“Figured you have enough money to do that.” She expostulated. 

Law didn’t take the bait, having three sisters all with very opinionated views of his own, “I have plenty but I want him to be able to wear it consistently.”

She opened the door wide enough for them to come in, planting a kiss on Luffy’s cheek as he walked by and slamming the door on Law’s heels as he passed. 

He smiled ruefully at Robin, the matriarch of the family whom Law was the closest with since she shared his enjoyment of the macabre, “I might have crushed your bushes but I saved the wine.”

She chuckled, “Don’t worry about it, those bushes have certainly seen their fair share of damage.”

“Yeah,” Zoro rumbled, approaching to take the tote bag full of wine from Law to peer into with interest, “Like the time Franky set them on fire.”

“Law-San, you don’t have to always bring something with you when you visit." Brook chided before adding sincerely, "Your presence is a gift enough.”

Law grinned at the older man, real affection blossoming in his chest, “That’s very kind of you to say but it’s slightly self-serving. I didn’t know what we were having for dinner so I just bought a bottle of red and white to ensure it paired well either way. Besides, I like having other adults to drink with.”

“Rude!” Luffy scolded, having overheard them from his excited exchange of hugs with Chopper.

After they had finished dinner and dessert- which was incredible as always- they moved away from the dining room to the living room to chat or into the kitchen to help do dishes, Sanji came over to Law and Luffy, “I wanted to talk to you two. C’mon.” 

They followed Sanji outside to the backyard, where the chef lit a cigarette, taking a drag before saying, “So first of all, congrats. Secondly, fuck both of you because now I have do all your catering and I hate weddings but could you imagine if I didn’t do it?”

Luffy’s eyes practically had stars hung in them, “Awesome!” 

“You don’t have to, honestly,” Law began, “I want you to enjoy yourself as much as any other guest.”

“I won’t enjoy myself if your food is subpar.” Sanji flipped his bangs with a toss of his head, “Anyway my wedding gift to you is my services. You just have to pay for the cost of goods and my staff wages.”

Sanji held his cigarette out which Law took. “Deal.” Luffy’s nose wrinkled and Law brushed his concern off as he took a drag, “I’ll have a mint, you’ll be fine.”

“Do you want a wedding cake or cupcakes or some other kind of dessert? Or with your taste probably a whole ass table full.” Sanji groaned, ruffling a hand through Luffy’s hair, “Don’t answer, I’m spoiling you either way.” 

Luffy left them to their cigarette, heading back inside to talk to the others and Sanji asked, “Do you want your own?”

He waved away the offer, “No. I honestly don’t really smoke anymore. I haven’t bought a pack in almost two years.” The only reason he had started smoking was he was lonely living in his apartment over an hour away from the rest of his family. The smell had reminded him of Cora, sometimes he wouldn't even breath in the smoke just let it burn so he could feel like he was home again. He had stopped when Luffy had moved in because he had trouble breathing with his still healing chest and ribs so as his medical practitioner Law couldn’t justify doing anything to make that harder for him. 

Sanji tipped his head back to the sky, breathing out a plume, “It’s just pure habit for now with me, I’ll stop when I die.”

Law smiled, “I happen to be on staff at the best hospital in the district. I can give you a referral to like, five great medical oncologists, don’t get me started on how many surgical oncologists I know. You’re in good hands.” 

“I help you with your wedding. You help me with my inevitable demise. We both keep Luffy happy.”

“It’s a win-win.” Law agreed and they both laughed. 

They talked for a while about their excitement for the arrival of colder weather since both of them had been born in colder climates. Law could hear happy raised voices coming from the inside of the house as well, lights pouring from the windows to illuminate where he was standing. There was an easy contentment tucked somewhere in his ribs, feeling pretty good about where his life was going until his phone chimed with a text message. 

Immediately there was a rush of adrenaline and he was already moving towards the house with barely a muttered word to Sanji. He wove through the kitchen into the living room, dodging furniture and people until he was at Luffy’s side, “I have to go.”

Luffy looked up at him with startled eyes, drawn away from a conversation with Usopp, “Wait, what?”

“I have to go.” Law repeated, glancing again at his phone to see if there was a follow-up text.

Luffy grabbed hold of his sleeve, the touch alone grounding Law enough that his vision widened like someone had taken his blinders off, “What is it?”

“Family business.” Was all the information he was going to give when there were other people around, “I have to get my gear from the house.” He fished his car keys out from his pocket, preparing to leave as he walked toward the door, announcing to the room at large, “Thank you for a lovely evening, I’ll see you all soon.” He opened the front door for himself, turning to face his fiancé, “Am I driving you home or not?”

Luffy stood there for a moment, mouth slightly agape before he conceded, “Okay.” He hurried to say goodbye and run after Law as he stalked to the car. Law put the car into motion about as soon as both doors closed, taking off at a speed that was wildly inappropriate for a neighborhood and made the engine roar. 

Free from other people overhearing, Luffy pressed for answers, “What’s going on?”

Law handed over his phone to aid in his explanation, text on screen, “Doffy wants me so I’m going.”

Luffy gasped slightly, face shining from streetlights, “Is it an emergency?”

Law checked his blind spots for any patrol cars, weaving the sports car in and out of lanes, luckily there wasn’t much traffic at this time of night, “I don’t know.”

Luffy relaxed a fraction but then furrowed his brow, “Well, can you ask?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He responded shortly as he maneuvered them onto the highway, picking up the speed even more. “He wants me, I’m going.” 

“It’s already nine-thirty, and it’s an over an hour drive there.” Luffy countered, “You’re the one who tells me about ‘establishing boundaries’, you think driving crazy to get there on little to no explanation is cool?” 

Law turned his head to snap at his fiancé, “You mean you wouldn’t go running to your family if there was an emergency?”

“I would.” Luffy declared so fiercely it reminded Law abruptly with how exactly Luffy had ended up in his care in the first place. He didn't have time to feel guilty before Luffy demanded, “But is it an emergency?” 

Law remained silent for the rest of the ride home, mulling over what his fiancé had argued for. He knew it would be irrational to just drive over without asking for any other details yet he couldn’t help it. He was conditioned and trained to react at the slightest word, even right now his mind was racing with plans and scenarios, his fingers itched for his scalpel, his blood singing for the rush of pleasure that came with executed power. It felt physically wrong to ignore the summoning, like he was failing his family every second longer it took him to get to business. 

That wasn’t a good feeling, that was codependency, desperation, he was smart enough to recognize that. It was him bending over and doing whatever was commanded like a dog and he was stronger than that. 

When they got to the house, Luffy left him without a word, even in his one track mind he knew that Luffy was pissed off with him. Regardless, Law had moved on autopilot to go to the office and the nondescript chest that held his gear. He stood there looking at it, played out the actions of getting it out and going immediately like he had numerous times before to get the job done and spend the night in his childhood bedroom alone. Then he replayed the scenario instead leaving his gear in the chest for another night, making up with the love of his life so he could fall asleep wrapped up in warm, strong arms. He took a deep breath to steal his nerves as he began to type out a message back. 

A while later, he found Luffy in the laundry room, pulling clean clothes out of the dryer to either drop them in a basket to be folded or putting them on hangers to be taken immediately to the closet to avoid extra wrinkles. “I’m going over tomorrow. I called off of work.” 

Luffy huffed a bit though he smiled, “I’m glad you get to stay.” 

“You were right. It wasn’t a twelve hour emergency so there’s no need to get worked up.” He reached out to place a hand on Luffy’s shoulder gently, “I’ll apologize to your family later. Then again, they might need to get used to my family’s craziness, especially since we’ve got the wedding coming up.” Luffy didn't say anything else, continuing to sort and hang up laundry. Law sighed, “I know you don’t like Doffy.”

“His vibes are atrocious.” Came a flat reply.

Law snorted despite himself, “I regret that Bonney taught you that phrase.” 

Luffy looked up to him, “I really like Cora and I don’t mind some of your siblings.”

“I know you do.” Law acknowledged, “I’m glad you do, but we have to play nice with Doffy, he’s the boss of the family and neither I or Cora would ever do anything that would purposefully upset him because he’s Cora’s brother which kind of makes him my uncle, I suppose. Besides I owe him my life.”

“Are you gonna owe him for the rest of your life? Cause Sanji used to think like that too and it’s not supposed to be forever, you thank them and you move on. You shouldn’t let him hold your life over you, it’s not right, Law, don’t you see that?”

“I’m a part of the family business that means I have to put in the work.” Luffy had never tried to get in his way or explicitly condemned his actions but he had voiced his negative feelings about the type of family Law was adopted into. 

Luffy pleaded with him, trying to make him see reason, “Sabo’s parents were like that, you can’t just let him buy you instead of love you.”

“I have been bought:” Law stressed, “My medical treatments, my degrees, the first year’s rent on my apartment.” Law laughed, tossing his hands up, “I’m a fucking sellout and that’s all I’ll ever be.” 

Luffy’s eyes went flinty, “I don’t think it’s funny.

Law tried to climb out of the hole he had dug himself into, “He does love us, it’s just difficult for him to show it beyond putting his wallet on the table. I know that’s hard for you to understand because it’s not how you were raised but we’re just from different socio-economic classes, our social spheres are vastly varied and the standards, values and expectations are different.” 

“You’re saying a lot of words now,” Luffy interrupted, arms crossed over his chest, “Not sure what all of them mean.”

Law reached out to uncross his fiancé’s arms, taking both of Luffy’s hands in his own, “The gist is, I know you don’t like him and that’s fine, I’m not asking you to be best friends, there’s plenty of in-laws that don’t get along well. All I wish is that you would not be hostile and make him think you’re out to attack him. He cares about me, and by extension you, just in a weird way.”

Luffy’s hands gripped him tight so Law wouldn’t have a chance to draw away and was forced to look him in his eyes, “And I’m asking you to not roll over for him whenever he asks. We’re adults and we’re free, let’s stay free. Don’t let him hurt you because he loves you.” 

“He would never hurt me.” Law assured even though he knew just how much of a liar he was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaws theme music starts playing in the background. If you've read Pt 1, you know what's about to go down. I did say it was going to be a hard road until they got married and here we go. 
> 
> I always enjoy putting in as many characters as I can for supporting or background roles so Pascia and Byron were both from Shabaody and I had to find a couple for Law and Luffy to go up against at their dance lessons, shoutout to Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine for volunteering.


	7. The Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a little after nine when Law was ready to leave, missing the morning traffic yet still arriving before eleven. Luffy waited ten minutes before he was out the door too with the keys to the van. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Anal sex, mentioned murder/death

Luffy woke up when Law was still loose-limbed with sleep beside him which was a rare occurrence. He blinked, peering around the bedroom that was mostly dark though the sun was starting to stream through the curtains. He twisted his head to squint at his digital alarm clock on the nightstand, 7:23. Law must have turned off his alarms since he wasn’t going into work today and Luffy had every other Monday off as well so he didn’t have any alarms set either besides his ten o’clock one to make sure he didn’t spend the whole day in bed. 

Law had a tendency to spread out on his back when he had the room, all splayed legs and arms with Luffy normally cuddling up along his taller form. Turning his head, Luffy kissed a line gently along Law’s pectoral which he was nestled up against. 

His fiancé hummed, stirring awake at the sensation, limbs curled and extending in a stretch. “Hello, gorgeous.” He mumbled, eyes slowly brightening as he woke up more, like two suns cresting the horizon, growing in intensity with every passing second. 

“Hi.” Luffy whispered back, taken aback by the sheer love that was pouring out of those eyes. Now that Law was awake, he moved the direction of his lips up, peppering kisses up his neck and scruffy jaw until Law made a soft sound and shifted, rolling so he was on top of Luffy, laying with his face buried in Luffy’s neck, tattooed skin meeting scarred skin as they laid chest to chest, their legs slotting together. Luffy draped his arms around Law’s neck, relishing in the warm, heavy weight of the man he loved, the person he trusted with his past, present and future. 

Law’s breath sighed out onto his neck, a tickling sensation, “You make it so hard to get out of bed.”

“Then don’t get up.” Luffy urged, “Stay.” He bent his legs at the knees, pushing his hips up to press against Law, “Stay with me.” Law’s groan was muffled but Luffy could hear its’ encouraging, sliding his hands up and down Law’s back, “You took the day and I’m off too, stay.”

Law let out another groan, this one in exasperation, “I can’t.” He pushed himself up on his elbows, body completely bracketing Luffy’s, “I told Doffy I’d come over as soon as I woke up.” He cocked a grin, leaning down to kiss Luffy on the lips, purring, “I didn’t say when I was going to wake up though.” 

Luffy laughed, squeezing Law closer so he could kiss him breathless. Their making out soon produced a charged air between them, shifting from a lazy back and forth into a heated exchange that had Law reaching for the nightstand and Luffy kicking his sleep shorts off. Law pulled the covers off the two of them so he could sit upright, long legs folding on either side of Luffy’s thighs. He pulled down his pajama bottoms, mesmerizing Luffy with the reveal of the tattoos that swirled on his inner and outer thighs, the intricate nonsensical patterns made of thick ink. His chest, back and arm tattoos were put on display sometimes but the thighs were secretive, only a few people had ever been privy to the sight and Luffy the longest and most frequent viewer. The thought alone made a heat sear through him. 

Though most times it was Luffy receiving, they took turns whenever they wanted, not sticking to any one position or style to keep things interesting, adapting and switching to whatever situation or desire they felt. Sometimes he wanted to see Law when it happened, but today, flipping onto the pillows and getting pounded into the week-old mattress sounded like a great idea. Law seemed to be thinking on the same wavelength, feeling Luffy out with practiced, steady hands. His fingers infuriated Luffy, so capable and nimble, inked with the word ‘death’ but so good at giving life, sometimes it was more than enough to get Luffy off by itself. 

When the lubed up fingers were replaced with something headier, he buried his face into a pillow, relaxing into the familiar pressure and pull. The sexual side of their relationship had started later but it had since become a regular ordeal. Instead of the few times he had done it with other people, their coupling felt right and natural, not forced or awkward. He couldn’t imagine the thought of doing it with anyone else, aware that what he had done before had never been what he truly wanted and going back to that kind of impersonal, rushed sex made him feel sick. 

He was brought back to the current moment when all the sudden the bed hummed to life, the massage function turning on sending out vibrations all along the head section of the bed. He gasped in surprise, craning his head to look over his shoulder at Law who held the remote deviously, “Please don’t tell me you got this bed cause it can act like a vibrator.”

“I didn’t,” Law smirked, tossing the remote aside, “It’s just a bonus feature.” Law doubled down then, one hand cupping the side of Luffy’s hip to keep them aligned and the other on the mattress for stability. Luffy was torn between arching into Law’s pumps and grinding his crotch into the mattress, almost dizzy from the stimulation in the best way. There were three strokes in rapid succession that all hit their mark and that was it for Luffy. 

He buzzed in the aftermath though that could have been the bed and Law laughed, loud and carefree, breath hitching as he finished as well. He leaned over Luffy’s shoulder to kiss him, voice rich like velvet, “You will never know how unbearably sexy it is to see you like that.”

Luffy melted into the mattress, uncaring of the mess, “I can guess since I feel the same way.”

Law turned the bed massager off then so he added, “You gotta try that sometimes. It’s great.”

“Next time and I agree, that was nice.” Law mumbled, kissing at Luffy’s shoulder blades, “We don’t do that very often.”

Luffy hummed, “Cause you’re always in a rush during the morning. When we’re married I’m going to have to ask for at least four times a month. It’s a good way to start the day.”

“Deal. I’m going to take a shower,” Law proclaimed, standing up with a stretch and a coquettish grin, “You are going to join me. We’ll change the sheets when we’re done.” Luffy hurried to do just that, crowding up together underneath the showerhead with hot water, slick hands and lots of lather. 

It was a little after nine when Law was ready to leave, missing the morning traffic yet still arriving before eleven. “I’ll be back for dinner.” Law promised as he stood in the doorway, “I’ll tell them outright, ‘I’m an almost married man there’s someone waiting for me’.”

“I’ll be here.” Luffy promised back, leaning up for a kiss goodbye. 

He waited ten minutes before he was out the door with the keys to the van. 

He had been busy with the move and there was never time on the weekends but now on his day off, he wanted answers. 

It was an hour out of the city in the opposite direction that Law was heading and he figured if he left by three at the latest, he would be able to beat Law home since he was always roped into spending extra time with his family whenever he came over, even if he had an assignment.

He stalled the van outside of the gates for a moment, admiring the decorated heavy iron wrought doors that stood open then continued to drive past. The property was a hundred and twenty sprawling acres of woods and meadows with a large pond all kept to its natural beauty. The grounds stood in the middle with a long paved driveway that ensured any vehicle was able to get to the houses easily and there were several dirt and gravel paths as well crisscrossing the property for ATVs and pickup trucks. The main house, a huge white mansion, that used to sit proudly at the top of the hill had been burned down a few years ago but there were four other large houses situated close by that were still occupied. He pulled up the horseshoe driveway, parking the van on one of the sides to allow other cars to pass if they needed.

The place was always bustling with people, like it’s own mini city that at its peak had over sixteen hundred people, that number had severely diminished since but there were still over a thousand people living on the property full time. A few people looked at him curiously but no one made any move to stop him as he walked up the stairs into the second house that had been converted into the new main house. 

The main floor was the living space with its own kitchen, huge living room and a massive dining room with several twenty-seater tables and the foyer had an imperial staircase with one flight heading to a wing of bedrooms and the other leading to a wing of offices. 

Luffy had yet to make a decision of how exactly to go about finding the person he was searching for, when a large man called out to him, “Is that you, Luffy?!”

He faced the man, smiling in recognition, “Hey, Blenheim.”

“What are you doing here, kid?” Blenheim asked, patting his shoulder gently. The force behind it was still enough to almost knock Luffy to the ground. 

“I thought I’d come say hi,” He answered, which was partially the truth, “It’s been a while.”

“Well, glad you did. Did you want to go see the boss?” At Luffy’s nod, he guided Luffy up the stairs, steering them to the right staircase where the offices were located. Down the main hall, were rows of offices on either side but at the very end was one main office, larger than all the rest. It was to this office that they went to. 

Blenheim knocked on the door lightly, “You’ve got a visitor.”

“Come in.” Came a soft answer from inside. Blenheim patted him once more in a goodbye, leaving him alone to enter the office.

Marco sat at a large wood desk with a considerable amount of paperwork on it, looking up when Luffy entered. He seemed pleasantly surprised to see Luffy, standing up quickly with a smile, moving around the desk to come over, “Well, look at you. How have you been?”

Luffy met him halfway, throwing his arms around Marco’s neck, “I’m good. What about you?”

Marco pulled back with a sigh, “I am just fine.”

The quiet admission tugged at Luffy’s heart. Every time Luffy saw him, he seemed older and more tired, “That doesn’t sound very fine.” 

Marco shook his head, “Come sit down and chat. It’s been a while.” 

“It has,” Luffy admitted, taking a seat in the empty chair in front of the desk. “Sorry about that, I’ve been busy.”

A gesture to the mound of paperwork, “Aren’t we all?” 

Luffy drummed his hands on his lap before holding out his left hand, “I’m getting married.”

Marco leaned forward to examine the gold circlet on his ring finger then leaned back in his chair with an amused smile, “So Dr.Trafalgar finally sealed the deal. Good for him.” Marco and Law had never worked in the same hospital together but every doctor in the district knew about Luffy’s fiancé, “We were all surprised when word got out that he was dating someone. He was very driven, to the point of being mildly obsessed with his work, I’m glad he’s found someone who’s shown him there’s more to life.” He reached out to pat Luffy’s hand gently, “And I’m even happier that it is you. You have my most heartfelt congratulations.”

Luffy twisted his hand up so he could grasp Marco’s hand to squeeze it, “Thank you.”

They talked for a while, catching each other up on their lives when Marco asked suddenly, “Do you want to look through his things?”

Luffy gasped, “Really?”

“His room was destroyed by the fire but we managed to salvage some things. I have them in boxes in my new room.” Marco stood up from the desk, motioning for Luffy to do the same. 

They walked out of the office wing and across to the wing with the bedrooms. He hadn’t spent much time in this house since Ace had lived in the man house and Luffy knew that it was around lunchtime on a Monday but the halls were fuller the last time he was here. They had lost a lot of people, it was devastating to see the effects of the lost battles. The fight that had been started for Ace. There was a second hand guilt gnawing in Luffy’s stomach, lives had been lost in an attempt to save  _ his _ brother and if Luffy had done more, fought harder, been faster, it could have been avoided. 

Marco’s room was tidy in the way that Luffy was beginning to think was a common trait in all doctors and he smiled to see the pastel blues and purples that made up the color scheme. The three mentioned boxes were stacked up by a wardrobe and Marco moved them to a bit of open floor space so Luffy could have easier access. 

Luffy sat on the carpeted floor to rummage through the boxes because he didn’t think his feet would keep him standing if he didn’t. A bit of it was clothing and other assorted items that had been gathered throughout the years, nothing that made Luffy more nostalgic than usual until he got into the third box and unearthed pictures. It was Sabo who was the one with the camera, with Luffy and Ace usually taking pictures with their phone alone but there were a few shots of Ace with other people, some of whom Luffy knew and others he didn’t. Just the physical image of his brother smiling was enough to make his throat close up as he shifted through the photos. 

When he came across a framed photo of Ace and Marco with arms around each other’s shoulders, he asked the question he had been meaning to since he had arrived, “Did you have a relationship with my brother?”

There wasn’t a moment's hesitation, “Yes, I did.” 

Luffy put the photo down, looking up to Marco, “Why?”

“Why’d you fall in love with Law? Timing, attraction, a feeling of connection.” Marco placed a hand on one hip, “Believe it or not, I’m older than I look. I’ve seen a lot of people, I’ve dealt with a lot of people. And your brother was different from all of them, he was a whirlwind. I never met anyone who was so beautiful and kind but so tortured inside.” Marco bit his lips, stared at the ground hard for a moment before continuing, “He hated himself just for being born, but he loved so deeply. He loved you and your brother so much, he loved the people he met and the adventures he went on, his friends, our pops and for a while he loved both me and the way his life was going. Then it all went to hell.”

Luffy knew it was selfish but couldn’t help asking, “Why didn't he tell me about it? I hung out with you guys all the time and he never told me.” 

“I don’t know why.” Marco replied, “I didn’t say anything to you personally because it wasn’t my position to. We didn’t tell much of anyone actually. We didn’t hide our relationship but we weren’t upfront about it. Everyone would have been supportive, there would have been a lot of jokes and innuendos though. At my age, I’m over such fanfare and Ace was never one who put private details like that out. We agreed that some things were better kept quiet, it made them more intimate, special.” 

Luffy could understand that, he had spent over a year hiding his relationship with Law from his family by omission, afraid that the routine they had created would be shattered. It stung to think that Ace talked to Sabo yet not Luffy but maybe he just hadn’t paid enough attention or Ace was waiting for him to bring it up first. Then his thoughts turned, “Why didn’t you tell me when you got into the fight last year?”

“We were trying to get payback, it ended poorly. It was stupid of me to even consider. We should have taken the losses and left it at that but we didn’t and we lost even more.”

Luffy sat up on his knees, “I could’ve helped.”

“You were injured too badly.”

“I wasn’t then, you knew that.”

“It was better that you didn’t.”

“It would’ve been better for you too.”

Marco’s face twisted in a mix of anguish and regret, “I know that now.”

“I don’t know why you got to have another shot and I can’t.” He argued, hands curled into fists. 

“Don’t be stubborn.” Marco shot back, finally starting to get annoyed with Luffy. 

He shook his head, stubbornness had been beat into his skull by his grandpa, passed down by his father, fostered by his brothers, “That’s all I am, and you don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“You’re so much like him.” The quiet words made Luffy jump back like he was stabbed. It used to be the highest praise Luffy could receive, now it made him feel like his chest was ripped open all over again. Marco regarded him somberly, “When was the last time you saw him? Before.”

Before the arrest, before the war, before Luffy’s life was over as he knew it. “A few weeks. He came by the family house,” Like usual, Ace had charmed Luffy’s found family during his visit but that visit was tainted in Luffy’s mind, “He said he was looking for Blackbeard.”

“He wanted revenge for the betrayal and murder of our brother and no one could dissuade him from going after it, not me and not our father. Blackbeard fucked him over, used him as a pawn in negotiation which we couldn’t let stand. So we fought and everything we had was destroyed and we did it for Ace but we lost him too, we lost so many others of our brothers and sisters and we lost our father. Our reputation was ruined, the people we promised to help were let down and now we’re still struggling, we’ll probably never stop struggling if I’m honest.” Marco crouched down next to Luffy, blue eyes sterner than he had ever seen them, “Your brother died chasing after revenge. I will not let you make the same mistake. You owe it to your family, your fiancé and most importantly to him to be better.”

It was only then that Luffy realized a few hot tears had slipped down his face. He quickly scrubbed at his face with a sleeve, sniffling. He was never going to be better than Ace but he could agree to not go looking for trouble. “Okay.”

He went back to the box so he could focus on something beside Marco’s searching gaze. His fingers brushed something cool to the touch, he pulled out a red and white striped glass bracelet. It was the one Ace had gotten on one of his first adventures and wore everyday along with his watch. Luffy turned the bracelet in his hands, wondering when they had gotten it back with Ace’s other possessions. 

“Take that with you.” Marco insisted, “Something borrowed for your wedding.”

He looked down again at the bracelet in his hands, smiling at the thought of having a part of his brother with him, “Come to my wedding.”

Marco’s face brightened, “Could I?”

“Yes,” Luffy confirmed, “I want you there. You can bring someone if you want.”

Before the other man had time to respond, the door swung open and a dark haired man dressed in a kimono came flouncing in, “Marco, come on, it’s time for-” His eyes caught on Luffy and his expression transformed, “Why didn’t you tell me one of our little brothers was coming to visit?”

Marco was nonplussed, “I would have told you if I had known.”

“Don’t blame him,” Luffy stood up so he could hug Izo, “I just showed up, I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course, sweetie.” Izo soothed, running delicate hands over Luffy’s shoulders, “You’ll stay for lunch, right?”

“Sure.” Luffy was never one to turn down free food.

“We wouldn’t want to keep you.” Marco added with a pointed look at Izo. 

“No!” Luffy responded quickly, “I want to stay. I just have to leave by three.” 

“I’ll make sure you get out on time.” Marco promised, standing up as well.

They went back down the stairs to the dining room for lunch where Luffy was brought to a place of honor at the table of the other commanders who all greeted Luffy warmly, exclaiming in delight over the news of his engagement and pressing for details. It reminded Luffy of the days before, when he was their little brother’s little brother, passed around the grounds and people to be shown around, loved and treasured. 

At around 1:30, Marco was seeing him out to the van so he could head home, the bracelet carefully tucked in his jacket pocket since he didn’t feel like it was the right time to wear it when his phone rang. It was Law and Marco waved him to take the call as someone came over to talk to him as well, “Hey, honey.”

“Um, hello.” Luffy stiffened because the voice talking to him was not his fiancé nor anyone else whose voice he recognized. “I’m not sure how to tell you this and I don’t even really know who this is but you were the last person he messaged and no one he has listed has been answering-”

“Listed for what?” Luffy demanded, fear creeping into his very bones.

“His emergency contact paperwork.”

The phone dropped from his hand and the last thing he could process was a tiny voice coming from the microphone on the ground before his vision went white. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys want to know in explicit detail what happened to Law go read Chapter 27 of Pt 1 before tomorrow because I'm not going to repeat that scene exactly since I've already written it but I'll deal with the aftermath. On a slightly lighter note, I'm a sucker for Luffy hanging out more with the Whitebeard pirates, before and after Ace's death.


	8. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law had saved Luffy’s life in the back of this van when they were strangers, now there were other strangers saving Law’s life and Luffy was stuck in this van trying to get to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Intrusive thoughts, anxiety, psychological trauma, description of serious medical injury.

For Luffy, it always seemed like that the passage of time was entirely dependent on the circumstances surrounding it. 

Back when he was in school, it always seemed unfair how during each class period’s fifty minutes he could feel every second as it passed but on the weekend’s hours flew by without him noticing. When he was looking forward to something, it took forever for it to arrive; when he was dreading something, it came rushing to slam him in the face. He wasn’t sure what this qualified as because he certainly wasn’t looking forward to their destination but at the same time it was agonizing that they weren’t there already. One thing was for certain, this two hour car ride to the hospital was a fucking eternity. 

Marco had caught Luffy before he had hit the ground and had tended to him while Haruta had picked up his phone and finished the phone call for him. All Luffy had managed to really enunciate was that he couldn’t leave the van behind but he had to go,  _ now _ . Marco had insisted that he wasn’t capable to drive so Luffy was in the passenger seat while Marco drove the van and had another person follow them in a second car for Marco to go home in later.

Law had been found by two strangers, Leo and Mansherry, somewhere in the warehouse district close by the family house, they had found him and tried to help them as much as they could while they waited for an ambulance. They had brought him to the closest hospital, the one that so happened to have been where Law had done his residency where the doctors had recognized him and called his family but nobody had answered and no one had Luffy’s number since at this point Law hadn’t updated his contact information. At that point, Leo had gotten Law’s phone unlocked by using his fingerprint so he could get in touch with someone to tell the news to.

Which led to now, with Luffy curled up in the passenger seat, alternating between staring blankly out the window or fiddling with his phone apprehensively. 

He didn’t know much about anything that had happened except that Law had been hurt and Luffy couldn’t leave the van behind. Law loved this van, it was his first car, the one he always took on road trips and got groceries with. They had sex in the backseat a few times, Law had saved Luffy’s life in the back of this van when they were strangers, now there were other strangers saving Law’s life and Luffy was stuck in this van trying to get to him and it felt like every second was stretching longer than the next and every moment wasted was another that could be Law’s last. Marco had told him that they had gotten Law to a hospital, a hospital that Law had worked at before which meant part of the staff knew him so they would take good care of him for sure and Luffy was a living example of the power of recent medical technology so whatever had happened to him they could fix it. None of that made him feel any better, nothing would ease the tight coil that seemed to be constricted tighter and tighter around his chest except for seeing that Law was okay with his own eyes. 

“Breathe.” Marco said, voice puncturing the quiet of the van, shaking him out of his thoughts. Luffy forced himself to inhale deeply through his nose for four counts, held it for four then exhaled it for four more. While he was doing his four respite counts, Marco reached over to pat his knee comfortingly, “It’s all going to be okay.” He had reminded Luffy to breathe correctly at least four times this car ride when his thoughts spiraled far enough that he struggled to function properly.

He kept counting for the rest of the ride as a way to keep himself distracted. When they got to the hospital, Marco led Luffy through the halls that he certainly would have gotten lost in if he had been by himself. They were going to go ask someone at the nurse’s station for information when a young man with shaggy light brown hair came rushing over, “Are you Luffy?” Holding up Law’s phone as an explanation, “He has you as his lock screen.” It was a picture of Luffy and Law from their first vacation. 

Luffy suddenly was too dizzy to answer but there was a steadying hand against his back, “Yes, he’s Luffy. I’m Marco, part of the family, I’m a doctor as well. What happened exactly?” 

“We don’t know, he had just collapsed when we found him.” There was dried blood on Leo’s clothes and Luffy felt sick. 

“And once you did?” Marco questioned, looking like he was fighting the urge to jump into action himself. 

Leo looked over to a beautiful young blonde woman with a tired grin, “Mansherry did most of the work.”

She stood up from the chair she was sitting in, “I’m a triage nurse actually. I tried to stanch the bleeding as best as I could while Leo was leading the paramedics to us. The ambulance couldn’t get to where we were and I didn’t want to try and move him.” 

“What was it?”

“He was in hemorrhagic shock for sure and then he cracked his head on the ground when he couldn’t stand anymore. He had lost a lot of blood by the time we found him. I don’t know what caused it but it was a clean go through. It was the upper right arm, complete disruption of the muscles, vessels and nervous structures, as well as a fracture of the humerus in the distal third, I’m pretty sure it was a non-displaced fracture but there was a risk of deep bone infection since it was an open wound.” 

Marco went pale, “How long before you got him here?”

“Probably thirty minutes but we don’t know how long before the injury had happened, he was unconscious the whole time so we couldn't ask.” Luffy knew enough that with any serious injury time was always one of the biggest issues, especially since it sounded like Law had lost a lot of blood but that was okay, he was here now being taken care of and they would give him a transfusion and things would be alright. “The last news we heard was that there are two separate teams working on him, he’s been in surgery for three hours now.” That wasn’t too terribly long, Law had spent eleven hours in the operating room working on him the night they met. 

Marco glanced at the clock on the wall, “I wonder if they’re past debridement yet.”

“I’m not sure.” Mansherry answered, looking nervous as well.

He tugged on Marco’s sleeve to get his attention before asking, “What does that mean?”

Marco blinked at him as if he hadn’t realized Luffy was still there after being pulled into the world of medical jargon, “It’s a surgical procedure for cleaning wounds by removing any foreign debris, infected or nonviable tissues, bone fragments. Basically anything affected they’ll be cleaning and preparing for the next stage in the operation.”

“So they just clean him up and put him back to normal, right?” Luffy asked hopefully. 

“Protocol would be to have saline circulated and soaked in maybe...” Marco glanced over at Mansherry though he answered his own question, “Iodopovidone or another solution, before further procedure. They would shunt the arteries to allow for recirculation then the arm should have blood run through for twenty or so minutes to see if the circulation is sufficient before beginning replantation.” 

“Replantation?” That was a word Luffy had never heard before, the only thing he could think that might mean it was when Robin moved plants from a pot to the flower beds. “You said upper arm, did he get stabbed?” Marco moved forward, causing Luffy to stumble backwards since Marco’s hand was still on his back. He realized he was being into an open chair and sat down shakily, starting to panic again, “Or shot? Did part of it get stuck in him? They can take it out, right? Or sometimes they don’t, cause it’ll make it worse, I remember Traffy saying something like that before.”

Marco bent so his eyes were level with Luffy’s, “I need to start counting again while I explain this to you because you’ve already passed out once today and your fiancé doesn’t need you to end up in the hospital as well.” 

Luffy gave an almost laugh, throat choking it into mostly silence but he did what was asked counting up to four, squeezing his eyes shut, forcing himself to stay as calm as he could manage with the terror thrumming in his veins.

Marco let him get through a whole cycle before he started to speak, “Replantation means a surgical reattachment of a body part, in this case it’s Law's right upper arm, it got cut off somehow but it sounds like it was a clean cut which means things are easier, especially since it’s not at a joint.” Luffy pressed his palm to his mouth, willing himself not to throw up imagining the state that Leo and Mansherry had found him in, “These procedures have very high success rates, not just cosmetically but in function as well, there’s a very good chance he’ll be able to retain a lot of mobility and use.”

Luffy buried his face in his hands, his breaths sounding harsh and scared to his own ears. Law’s right arm, his beautiful, tattooed arm that held Luffy’s hand so perfectly, that could wield a scalpel to kill or save and it had been cut off and maybe there was a chance that things would turn out okay but it would never be the same. How could it ever be the same? People didn't just get limbs cut off and walk away from it without some sort of horrible aftereffect, his handsome, sweet smart fiancé was suffering and it could be permanent. A thought took Luffy’s breath away and he asked fervently, “But what about his work? He loves his work, will he be able to go back to his job when it’s fixed? What if it doesn’t work right? Are there one-handed surgeons?” 

“I don’t have an answer for you right now. That’s something that might take months to determine so we’re not going to focus on it because it’s out of our control in the moment.” Marco squeezed his hands comfortingly, “We do have control over how we react. Besides waiting, what do you think we should do right now?”

Marco was right. He couldn’t freak out, that wouldn’t help Law, he needed to fight through the fear like he always did, “I need to get in touch with his family and I need someone to go to the house and take care of our pets.”

“That sounds like a good plan.” Marco encouraged, “Are you alright to start doing that on your own?”

“Yes.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it and dialing Rosinante’s number as Marco stood up again. It went straight to voicemail which was somewhat unusual since Cora always tried to answer calls from Law and Luffy since they lived so far away but sometimes he turned his phone off in a meeting or an assignment.

Marco headed over to Mansherry and Leo again, “Thank you for staying.”

“Of course.” 

“We hope everything turns out okay.”

“If you want, you can leave your number and we’ll keep you updated. We owe you as much.”

“Thank you,” Luffy repeated, looking over at them, “Seriously, he probably would have died if you hadn’t found him so thanks for letting me keep my fiancé.” He gave them a watery smile before directing his attention back to his phone to distract himself from the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. 

Leo and Mansherry left and he managed to get ahold of Baby, who had no idea what had happened but promised to spread the word and try to find Cora in person to deliver the news, then he sent a text to Penguin asking if he would go to the house to let Bepo out and feed both him and Polar. He didn’t give many details to Penguin just saying that Law had been in an accident and he wouldn’t be able to come into work any time soon. Luffy tried to get Marco to leave but his dead big brother’s lover had refused, stating that he wouldn’t leave Luffy alone. 

Luffy was selfishly grateful for that because he hated hospitals. Where he had grown up, you went to the hospital before you died and any other injury was treated by one of the wayward doctors that roamed or the one in the village. His whole childhood had been bandaids slapped on cuts that needed stitches, poultices instead of pills. He had been lucky when he met Chopper and had someone who actually knew how to heal a body internally and externally, though Sabo had done his best with tossed out medical books and a meager first aid kit. His first time in a hospital had been when Ace had died and it was a miserable experience overall. It had only been somewhat redeemable with Jinbe sharing his room and Law doing his best to make sure he was comfortable yet stimulated and the nurses all sneaking him extra food. He had been really happy to get out and was looking forward to never going back since he now had both Chopper and Law to take care of him. 

Here he was though, sitting in a chair in a waiting room, praying to forces he didn’t believe in to please let his fiancé be okay, he just wanted to be able to hold Law’s hand again. 

It took another hour before Giolla came sweeping in, having been informed of the situation by Baby and rushed right over to act as a representative of the family with Cora being on an assignment out of town and Doffy in a meeting with the other executives. She swept Luffy into a hug on sight which normally he hated since her perfume was strong and she always pinched his cheek like he was a child however on this day- when he had gone through a rollercoaster of emotions, wound up with anxieties and still fearful of whatever outcome would come of the surgery Law still hadn’t come out of- he leaned into her embrace. 

Marco hugged him tightly, finally relieved of his care-taking duty and needing to make the two hour trip home after keeping his poor subordinate waiting almost two hours in the parking garage to drive him back, “You’ll call me when you get word?”

“Of course.” Luffy mumbled, moving back in for another hug, “Thank you for being here.”

He could feel Marco’s smile pressed in his hair, “We’re brothers, remember? Family takes care of each other.”

They separated with smiles. Luffy pointed at him, declaring, “I am sending you an invitation to our wedding, we are going to eat cake and I’m going to dance in Law’s arms all night.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Marco promised back, giving a final wave as he left. 

With Marco gone, he took a seat next to Giolla, who huffed in a joking manner, “That boy can't seem to stay away from hospitals, even on his day off he finds an excuse to visit.” Luffy laughed a bit but it quickly dissolved into sobs, the stress catching up to him. It only lasted a few minutes and when he had managed to rein himself in, Giolla dabbed at his cheeks with a lace handkerchief, “Don’t you worry. He’s a fighter, he always has been. He’ll make it out with a scar and a smile, daring the world to do it again.” 

Luffy had never wished for anything harder in his life.

—

It was another two and a half hours before Law got out of surgery and it took an additional hour and forty-five minutes for Luffy to be able to see him with every second feeling longer than the next. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the writing feels disconnected/repetitive and the medical jargon seems excessive it's because I was trying to capture the mindset Luffy would be, he's smart but he's way out of his depth and struggling with his own mental issues. 
> 
> I read medical journals, research papers and observational studies to try to figure out what it would actually mean to get an arm cut off and put back without a Devil Fruit and along the way I saw so many pictures of severed arms and let me tell you, it is brutal.


	9. The Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law had chosen love and he didn’t regret it for a second, except for the fact that his arm was absolutely wrecked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a PSA, in this chapter Law smokes weed while he's still being given doses of intravenous opioids. Do not do this, while it is possible that combining opioids with cannabis can sometimes be used when there are great amounts of pain that are not being adequately managed with opioids alone, it is not recommended as there could be potential side effects that have not been definitively studied. 
> 
> Content Warnings: Description of Major Injury, Anxiety, Drug Abuse, Emotional Manipulation

Law had done over nine-hour surgeries many times in his career. It was sometimes required when injuries were extensive and needed more attention, when there were several factors to consider and the work had to be done precisely. He prided himself on his efficiency but even he had never rushed a surgery to completion, he didn’t have to, when he was in the operating room time seemed to fly by on its own accord, he could spend the whole time on his feet and never notice how the hours slipped by. 

For some reason on the other side of the operating table, it felt like forever. He had been dead to the world the whole trip to the hospital and going into the surgery. Apparently, he had woken up in the recovery room but his time in there was lost to him. All in all, the whole ordeal had lasted thirteen hours but his body was reacting like each of those hours had been a whole year. He knew it was because of the intense physical trauma he had gone through, paired with the extensive procedure and the major blood loss that had sapped his energy. When he had woken up later, in his newly assigned room, it was only long enough to exchange a few words for Luffy then he had immediately fallen back asleep with his fiancé tucked up against his uninjured side. He had slept almost the whole first full day in the hospital, only rousing when the nurses or doctors needed him to but otherwise, he hid in the throes of sleep to save himself from having to confront reality. 

When Doffy had presented himself with the options of either giving up Luffy and their relationship to go back to his way of life before they had met, deal with the heartbreak, throw away his planned future so he could continue to work for the family business without distractions, be groomed to take over as an executive one day, ascend to power and reign over a legion of family members, officers, staff and pawns, a successor to an empire. Or he could choose Luffy, get married and in return get his arm cut off yet still have to work in the family business, essentially nothing would deviate from the norm he had built up in the last two years, except he would soon have a wedding band on his left hand and his right arm would be screwed up permanently. It was funny to think he would ever consider choosing the former. He had gotten glimpses of the first option, had seen in the impassioned way he killed people, had lived it in countless nights spent alone with his thoughts and staring up at the ceiling, and that wasn’t what he wanted. 

What he wanted was Luffy, for the rest of their lives. There was no going back for Law. He had never had another partner who had stuck with him, put up with his demanding work schedule, his sarcastic temperament and dark moods, who would stay no matter what, who liked being in the quiet moments, who would just lay in Law’s arms without an ounce of selfishness to help him sleep, who took pleasure in simply seeing Law at the beginning and the end of a day, getting to share the medial tasks of life, who made doing laundry exciting and mealtimes a joy, who knew about his past, that he wasn’t entirely a good man, who made Law want to be better.

He had chosen love and he didn’t regret it for a second, except for the fact that his arm was absolutely wrecked. He knew that he had made the right choice because in his opinion, loosing Luffy would have caused more pain than his arm getting his cut off. Lying in a hospital bed, concussed with his newly reattached arm aching in a way that morphine couldn’t fix, the future of his career hanging in the balance, he wondered that maybe there could have been another alternative to the ultimatum. If he had negotiated the conversation with Doffy differently, there could have been a different deal made, one where he might have gotten through without such a severe injury. 

He banished the thoughts from his mind, there was no use agonizing over it anymore, there was no changing what had already happened, all he had to do was remember to do better the next time because if he knew anything about the Donquixote family, there would be another time. The only way for him to come out on top of the current situation was to regain use of his arm so he could keep his job and use the middle finger of his right hand to flip Doffy off on his wedding day.

The next time the nurses came to change out his bandages, he sent Luffy out of the room so he could spend some time examining his arm with a practiced eye. He didn’t work on arms specifically, but he knew as much as any doctor to understand the basis of what they had done to try to fix him. He had sent his fiancé away because the wound looked gruesome to someone who wasn’t desensitized to the inner workings of the human body, especially since the skin had been left open currently. They’d pull him in for a skin graft to close it up later once they had monitored the wound longer. 

They had done a stable osteosynthesis on his humerus with a 4.5-mm plate, an anastomosis of his brachial artery which had brought about successful revascularization over four hours after his arm had been cut off. Then they had done an epineural suture of the radial, ulnar and median nerves and readapted his muscles and had called it a day. All of the doctors and nurses had been pleased with his reaction to the surgery, there wasn’t any sign of infection, his fingers showed good re-capillarization and even though it was still too soon for them to do a full mobility test, it all looked like he was going to be able to get into physical therapy soon. It was going to be a long process to heal that was for sure and if he got 60-80% of his mobility back it would be considered a success but he was determined to compensate to get back to his normal life in whatever ways necessary.

His second full day in the hospital, he was put under again for a radial nerve transplant to try and restore his ability to extend the wrist and fingers along with sensation in part of his hand. When he got out of surgery, still a little high from anesthesia, he remarked to Luffy how it was funny that this was their second shared Halloween spent in a hospital- the first being during Luffy’s six-week hospitalization and now his own- and maybe it should become a tradition. Luffy didn’t share his viewpoint, scolding Law as he ate fun-sized candy bars bribed from the nurses, about Halloween being a time for fun parties and costumes not sterile rooms and injuries. Law stared at his fiancé- thoroughly worked up from pent up worry and stress, gesturing wildly with a mini Snickers in his hand, gold ring flashing on his finger in the dim light (darkened to not exasperate Law’s concussion)- and shed a few tears, overcome with love and relief that the man in the chair next to his bedside was his to keep.

On his fourth day, they brought him back into the operating room to do a full-thickness skin graft, like he expected, taking viable skin from his outer left thigh and covering up the area on his arm where the skin hadn’t been able to be saved, closing the incision with neat stitches. The graft was a success, with new blood vessels starting to form around the thirty-two hour mark.

On the sixth day, Law had forced Luffy to go home for the first time since he had admitted for the night but only on the condition that someone in his family stayed with him so Baby and Dellinger came. Baby had started crying within seconds of entering the room and Dellinger had held out a small cactus in lieu of flowers, “I got you a cactus because you’re a prick and there’s something special in the pot for you.” Law had pulled out from the dirt a rolled blunt which he had smoked by the open window while Dellinger kept guard. Teasing his younger siblings during their visit had made him feel like himself again and he basked in the high that helped loosen the tension in his shoulders and helped quell the lingering nausea from the medications and anxiety. 

On the eighth day after the incident, he was brought down to the physical therapist’s office, for his first session. Early mobilization was critical, to make sure that everything was healing properly which meant he had to endure a high range motion test both to try and see his limits over movement and sensation. It had been painful on some fronts and alarmingly numb in other ways- his arm was there but the signals his brain sent weren’t being followed, leaving it as a mass of deadened flesh. Through time and rehab he could regain the function of it but right now it was just scary. 

On the eleventh day, as he was toweling his hair off with one hand, finished with his shower, mostly on his own but partially with help from Luffy who had been instructed by the nurses on how to make sure Law was safe in preparation for when they got to go home, when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and came to a realization, “Aw, my fucking tattoos. They’re all screwed up, now my arms won’t match anymore.”

Almost anyone else would berate him for focusing on something so trivial when the fate of his arm was still in the balance, but Luffy, wonderful passionate Luffy, his fiancé, the man Law believed whose soul was made to match his own, frowned in sympathy, saying with vigor, “I know, babe. I texted Nami and she’s got tattoos that go over her scars so maybe when they’re all healed you can get it redone or something.” 

“You’re right.” He gave one more disparaging glance at his reflection before walking away, “It’s a good thing that we’re getting married in the winter so I can wear long sleeves to cover it up.”

(Right now, they were planning on getting married in the second week of January on a Saturday. Luffy had even brought their wedding binder to the hospital so they could plan together, giving Law a much appreciated task to do. Honestly though, the furthest that they had got was deciding on their colors which were blue, silver, black and white which was a compromise because Luffy’s favorite color was red but they both agreed that red in the winter looked too much like a Christamas theme. They had also found a florist, a local family boutique who was very eager to work with them and had both sent design ideas to Hawkins for their custom suits.)

On the fifteenth day, he was released with a specific set of instructions, scheduled follow up appointments and a three days a week physical therapy regime. After over two weeks in the hospital, returning to their new home was such a relief. He didn’t think he had fully relaxed since he had left that fateful Monday morning but once he stepped through the doorway, a peace settled over him. Both of the pets had been ecstatic to see him since it was the longest he had ever stayed away since getting them, Luffy had to wrestle with both of them to get them to not jump all over Law. Though the wound on his arm had closed up and there was steady progress being made, Law’s arm had to be kept in a brace anytime he wasn’t sleeping to make sure that the newly repaired tendons were protected and keep the fractured humerus in place. It had a strap that wrapped around his left shoulder with a waist support strap, a cuff right above the bend in his elbow and another cuff for his wrist that immobilized the elbow and the wrist to his body. As far as braces went, it was fairly comfortable with velcro straps, support bands and padding to make sure that neither his neck or shoulder were strained as he fumbled about his way. 

While he was still in the hospital, he had called to his work and got everything in line to be put on short-term disability which meant he had six months to heal or he was going to have to seriously consider finding another job if his arm wasn’t up to standard. It was a harsh deadline but he would be able to stay busy by planning his wedding and finishing any projects around the house that he hadn’t been able to do beforehand. In the meantime there was also physical therapy, which was a bitch, and his own personal task of trying to be as self sufficient as possible by practicing doing things with his left hand only in case the right failed him.

On day eighteen, which was a brutal day with thunderstorms every since the early morning, hard enough that Luffy’s chest had tightened from the changing barometric pressure and Law’s arm had ached enough that his physical therapy session had about keeled him over. The pain had gotten so bad that at one point, later in the evening Law was curled up on the bed, prone and feverish, praying that the pain medication he had taken would kick in soon. He hadn’t seen Luffy in over an hour which was rare that he was left alone so long and was getting increasingly worried since his fiancé had been hurting too but didn’t seem to have the capability to stand upright to get up and look. He had just resolved himself to crawling along the floor to see if he could find Luffy, when the door was opened and a tall figure swept in, silent like a shadow. 

He got tucked back into bed despite his protests, a hand smoothing through his hair once before the man disappeared again, this time reappearing with Luffy corralled in his arms. Luffy was tucked under the covers as well, curling into a tight ball, already half-asleep as one of his hands groped the sheets for a piece of Law to hold onto. The blackout curtains were drawn shut and when Law went to thank their helper, he was shushed, “Rest. Both of you rest easy.” A kiss was placed to Law’s forehead and a gentle hand stroking Luffy’s back, “Parents are supposed to take care of their children.”

—

When Law woke up, Luffy was still asleep beside him, snoring lightly and even in his slumber Law could tell that his chest wasn’t hurting as much anymore. The sun was shining outside, the storm of the previous day having passed. Law wandered downstairs, following the smell of breakfast to the kitchen, “When did you get in?”

Rosinante looked up with a smile, “Last night. I used the house key because no one was answering the door. You were pretty out of it.” 

His excitement of seeing his pseudo-father was overridden by a worry for his partner, “What? Where was Luffy?” 

Rosinante’s eyes darkened, a mix of sympathy and concern, “I think he had one of his episodes. I was in the house for at least twenty minutes before he showed up. I’m not sure where he was, I couldn’t find him anywhere.” 

“Shit.” He should have known that their current situation plus the weather would have sent Luffy spiraling, “All this stress must be getting to him.”

“I would guess it’s getting to you too.” Rosinante came over to hug him gently, minding his injured arm, “I’m sorry for not being here sooner. I was on a long term assignment and you know how Doffy gets when we duck out before completing.”

More than anyone, Law knew how terrible Doffy could get about business, “Don’t apologize, you’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

Rosinante looked over his head with a warm smile, “Look who woke up.”

Luffy still rubbing sleep out of his eyes came bounding over, “Hi! Something smells good!”

“Sit and eat,” Rosinante ordered lightly, returning to the kitchen, “I managed to make oatmeal without setting anything on fire.”

“That’s an achievement.” Law muttered to Luffy who laughed. 

“Drink your juice, Law.” Rosinante scolded without bite, “I won’t have you disparaging my cooking abilities to your fiancé.”

Law rolled his eyes, “Yes, sir.”

Two steaming bowls of oatmeal, heaped with blueberries and cut bananas were slid over to them, “What’s on the schedule for today, boys?”

Law drove his spoon into his oatmeal aggressively, still mournful of having limited mobility, “I’ll be here like usual. All I have to do is make sure I do my stretches since I went to P.T yesterday.”

Luffy swallowed a bite, “I’m gonna stay here too.”

Law frowned because he knew that Luffy was scheduled for a shift later that day, “You should go work.”

“But-”

“I’ll be fine. He’s staying with me.” 

Rosinante nodded, “Don’t worry about anything, I’ve been Law-wrangling for many years now.”

“A change of scenery will be good for you.” Law persuaded, nudging Luffy’s calf with his foot, “Go.” 

“Okay.” Despite his previous hesitation, Luffy seemed to brighten, assured that he had Law’s approval, “I’ll bring home food. Any requests?”

Law leaned over to kiss Luffy’s cheek, “Something we haven’t had in at least a week. I’ll leave it to you.”

“I’ll text to get your order.” Luffy said to Cora, since he already knew Law’s preferences as he stood up to hurry and get ready for work.

“Thank you, sunshine.” Rosinante hummed as he ate his own bowlful, leaning against the countertop. 

Luffy left a little while later, leaving Law and Rosinante by themselves. Law gave Cora a tour of the house, all moved in and unpacked since the last time Cora had seen in. They talked about Law’s time in the hospital, his wedding planning, Cora’s reconnaissance mission and the plans Doffy seemed to be having for the future of the family. Time flew by until Luffy was coming home with ten different containers of Chinese takeout from one of their favorite places, saying that whatever they didn’t eat could be used as leftovers for the next day. They all sat on the huge couch and watched the Jurassic Park series, one after the other, late into the night. Cuddled up on the couch with Luffy pressed into his uninjured side and Cora’s hand carding through his hair from the other side with Bepo laying at his feet and Polar on the back of the couch behind him, he felt safe and warm, able to ignore the ache in his arm for a few blessed hours. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed to speed run through Law's time in the hospital because it's not the crux of the story and we've still got a lot to do for the wedding.


	10. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law wasn’t technically cleared to drive just yet with the state his right arm was in but he was off the stronger painkillers that would impair his judgement and had driven one-handed before- granted that was when he still had full use of both arms and was simply holding a coffee cup with the other- so he didn’t see a problem with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Foul language, mentions of anxiety, semi-graphic sex scene

He didn’t even know how it escalated, they had gotten home from yet another grueling physical therapy session and Law was in foul mood, irritated by the continual pain, the lack of progress, the stress and anxiety of the knowledge that he didn’t get better he didn’t know what he was going to do. Luffy had said something that had pissed him off and he snapped back and then one thing led to another because Luffy was nothing but stubborn on his best days and Law could be a real asshole when he got in a mood until suddenly they were screaming at each other in the living room.

“What?” Luffy cried out, face flushed with frustration, “So I’m not allowed to take care of you?” 

“It’s not that.” Law clarified, trying to maintain some semblance of composure, “I don’t want you hovering over me, it’s an arm not my whole body. I can walk fine on my own, I can eat on my own, anything you can do one handed I can do on my own, but you’re acting like I can’t even hold my own dick when I pee.” 

“They said that you can’t strain yourself. You want to get better so you have to take it easy.” That was the last thing Law wanted to hear at this moment and he flared with anger. 

“You don’t think I know that?!” He growled, “I’m the one with the medical degree! I know my limitations, if I need your help, I’ll ask for it, otherwise back off!”

Luffy’s face twisted as he shot back, “That’s how it’s going to be? You’re going to set those kinds of rules against me, the man you’re supposed to marry? You’re going to tell me that I can’t help you however I can because I love you, due to your pride. That’s what you want?”

“It’s not pride.” Law argued, “It’s the fact that you don’t seem to understand that I am asking for space and you aren’t giving it to me.”

“Then go get it!” Luffy hissed, “Go out and get your space; go to your family, go get a drink, go cool your head off but don’t come into our house limping around, obviously in pain and expect me to stand by and do nothing. I refuse to just sit by.”

“Fine, I will.” Law declared, stalking to the entryway to shove his feet into the first pair of shoes he saw, grasping his coat and snagging a set of keys from the hook, “Don’t expect me back soon.”

“Fine!” Was yelled back as Law slammed the door behind him. 

Outside, standing on the porch with the cold November air circulating in his lungs, arm aching and shoes on the wrong feet, Law realized that the conversation they had just had was a reflection of his personal issues and insecurities and not due to anything Luffy had really done. Yes, his fiancé had been a tad clingy but who could blame him? Law had gone through a devastating injury and he knew how painful it was to watch someone hurt and know there was nothing much you could except offer whatever support and comfort you could. 

He should turn right back around go in and apologize yet he still didn’t have the words to enunciate why he felt the way he did which meant that he would only be apologizing for his behavior and not the real reason that the argument had occurred. He had asked for space and now he was going to take advantage of it. Sometimes you did need time and distance to garner perspective, sometimes you needed to try and sort the issue out away from the situation and those involved, with that in mind, he made a phone call.

Law stepped into the dive bar with its dim neon lights and shabby interior with a stretch. He wasn’t technically cleared to drive just yet with the state his right arm was in but he was off the stronger painkillers that would impair his judgement and had driven one-handed before- granted that was when he still had full use of both arms and was simply holding a coffee cup with the other- so he didn’t see a problem with it especially since he had taken the van which was an automatic whose steering was less touchy than his lamborghini. He had left his wallet at home in his rush to get out, meaning he didn’t have his license or any money besides the meager amount of cash he kept in the glovebox for occasions such as this. That was fine too, Law hadn’t gotten carded in years, thanks to his dark profile and haggard bags under his eyes that made him seem older than he actually was. 

“Oi, Trafalgar, over here!” He followed the shout to a red-haired man sitting at the bar, smirking at him in that mix of cockiness and ardentness, the arm he had his chin propped in on the bar top was made of bulky metal and gears. 

If Law had to construct a comprehensive list of people he’d want backing him up in an alley fight, Eustass Kid would be close to the top of the list. 

He was an asshole to other men, a dick to women and an absolute menace to society, but, damn, what he did he did good. He had a nefarious reputation with the local authorities, had awful taste in fashion, always was ready for a good party or brawl, collected rare weapons and showed them off to whoever would look and was hopelessly in love with his childhood friend.

Law and Kid were kindred souls, both with deep connections in the black market, feared by their title monikers and the same way that Law carried a guarded scalpel with him, Kid carried a two sided switchblade that’s blade whipped out if you breathed on it. 

They had met in this very dive bar a couple of years ago, where Kid had been boisterous up at the bar and Law had turned and flipped him off which led to them eventually fighting in the shady alleyway behind the bar and ended with them blowing each other off in the alleyway. They had made an arrangement of sorts after that, back when Law worked the night shift and his insomnia was at its worst. Kid would be waiting in the parking lot after Law’s shift was over Law would find him at the bar somewhere, they would beat the shit out of each other then have sex and Law would be able to sleep afterwards. Their relationship was pure aggression and passion, all pent up tension from slugging through the shitty day-to-day life that came from the confines of a modern society and would use each other as a release point. What they had was unsustainable, lacked depth and while they both enjoyed being fuck buddies Law had been searching for a more fulfilling relationship and Kid had never stopped being in love with Killer. Law had broken things off between them, leaving Kid free to pursue Killer and less than three months later he had saved the life of the man who was to become his husband. 

They had been better as friends, having agreed that their newly chosen partners produced healthier relationships since Kid and Law were too close in temperament and opinions to be a compatible match. Their tension had evolved to a playfulness that they both enjoyed and they had quickly become closer than they had when they were intimate. Law would never admit out loud that his friendship with Kid meant as much as it really did to him, else Kid would get even more arrogant.

During the first year of Luffy and Law knowing each other, Kid had been working as a mechanic- with maybe some illegal activities on the side- and one day the garage had been blown up, leaving scars crisscrossing his body and his left arm scotched off just above the elbow. He had bounced back with remarkable vigor, crafting a prosthetic for himself that worked exceptionally well and was as huge and gaudy as the rest of his taste. (Law could get behind an occasional leopard print but the lizard print with fringe that Kid liked to wear hurt his eyes.)

The prosthetic arm was tilted to showcase to Law the heavy scars that wrapped up the rest of his stump, “We were almost matching.”

Law took his place on the stool beside Kid, correcting, “Except it was different arms and mine was the upper arm.”

“That’s why I said almost,” Amber eyes were rolled underneath eyebrow-less brows, “The point was there were almost two people in our friend group who were missing part of an arm. How often do you see that? I could have made you a fucking sweet prosthetic.”

“Thanks for the offer,” Law hummed sincerely, “But I’m relieved to not have needed it.” 

“I get it, man,” Kid agreed, grimacing, “It’s no fun.”

“It really isn’t.” Law admitted wearily. He was twenty-three days post-op and it had felt like an eternity.

“Honestly, yours might be worse.” Kid moved his right hand to rub at part of his left arm that was still attached, “I just had to wait for the stump to heal but you, that’s a whole lotta ouch.”

“Eloquent as ever, Eustass-ya.” Law remarked dryly. 

“As uppity as ever, Trafalgar.” Kid smirked into his drink, “Someone would think with all the times you’ve taken it up the ass, that stick would have gotten knocked loose.”

Law groaned mockingly, “I don’t know why I bother with you.”

Kid thumped him on the back with his flesh hand, “C’mon, let’s get a drink.”

“I can’t, I’m not allowed to with my medications.” Law may have been done with the stronger pain killers but he still had a few more doses of anti-inflammatory medication to help keep his arm mostly normal after his physical therapy.

Kid sputtered, “Why’d we come to a bar if you can’t drink?” 

Law sighed, glancing around at their surroundings, the bar that they had met in, “I don’t know, nostalgia.” 

“Do you want to suck me off in the alley for nostalgia too?” Law snorted, getting off his bar stool, kicking Kid in the shin solidly in retribution. 

They ended up in a restaurant nearby, Kid slurping on a root beer float while Law ate small spoonful's of a cup of salted caramel ice cream. Law had summarized his experiences since his incident then explained the fight he had with Luffy to Kid’s grave nodding along, “Rehab is a bitch. I couldn’t tell you how many times my PT got on to me for shouting ‘expletives’. She threatened implementing a swear jar if I didn’t stop doing it in front of kids.”

Law chuckled into his ice cream before sobering up, “I don’t want to burden him more. This has already been hard enough for him.”

Kid fixed him with a flat look, “I’m pretty sure the phrase is ‘for better or for worse, in sickness and in health’ which should apply to injuries as well.” 

“I know.” Law sighed, dropping his head onto the table, “I hate feeling like I don’t have control and I’m in a tailspin, hurtling toward the ground.”

“But you gotta give him a chance to help you.” Kid gesturing grandly with his straw, “Maybe he thinks you’re like one of those fancy trick planes and you’re just trying to be daring by seeing how far you can go without pulling up.”

Law lifted his head from the table to squint at Kid, “Where is this analogy going?”

“Look, what if,” Kid leaned across the table to catch Law’s eyes, “When you let him in, it’s like you realize that even if the plane is on fire, it’ll be okay because you got one of the tandem parachutes and instead of crashing, you land safely together. You guys are a team, a damn good one at that, ‘cept neither of you are mind readers so you have to talk or else he’s flying blind and you’re going crazy. If you talk, he’ll be able to help you better or understand when you don’t want him to, not as a diss to him but the real reasons behind it.” 

Law regarded the man sitting in front of him, who had once headbutted Law during sex for daring to insinuate that he was a gentle lover, who had numerous drinks thrown in his face by women for being so tactless, who had looked love in the eye for years and pretended to not see it, "When did you get so competent about matters of the heart?”

Kid leaned back into the booth, “Don’t ask me, man. Ask yourself why you’re not? You’re the one with two degrees. I’m just the guy who took thirteen years to realize I was in love with my best friend.”

“It’s the trauma.” Law deadpanned so resolutely that Kid threw his head back and laughed. 

Law got home almost two hours after he left, glancing briefly at the grand room to confirm that Luffy was upstairs in their bedroom like he should be at a quarter past midnight.

There were no less than eight pillows lined up against their headboard, Law hadn't seen the need for it all but Luffy had insisted that every ‘grown up’ bed he had seen had an abundance of pillows. His fiancé was dressed in pajamas and curled up on top of the made bed, the tv on but not watching what was on the screen. “You could have gotten under the covers.” Luffy shook his head with pursed lips, so beautifully stubborn that he had refused to go to bed without Law by his side. 

Law got ready for bed as quickly as he could manage, changing into pajamas and leaving his sling on the bathroom counter. Luffy had tucked himself under the covers, peeled back Law’s side of the bedding as well so he could slip in between the soft sheets. “I need to apologize.”

“No, it’s-”

“Please.” Law insisted and after a second of taking in the determined set of Law’s shoulders, Luffy nodded wordlessly. Law turned so they were face to face, “I need to apologize because I have been short with you, when you’ve just been trying to help and that’s not fair. I get defensive when I get hurt because I hate being vulnerable. I have this, ‘screw you, I’ll do it myself’ attitude because when I was actually dying, no one would help me. The world threw me away to wait till I keeled over so they wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore. That shit affects you physiologically, I’m not going to lie. It is completely hypocritical because I spent months helping you heal and I loved it yet now I’m not letting you help me the same way I helped you? That’s wrong and I’m sorry, so I will actively try to do better and if that means me saying ‘honey, I don’t want to talk right now’ because I know that I’m in a bad mood and will pick a fight if I keep feeling pressed then I will say it. Does that sound fair to you?”

“Yes.” Luffy consented in a small voice, “I should’ve known not to push so hard so I’ll try to be better too. I don’t like it when we fight.”

“I don’t like it either. We both need to be more vocal about how we feel instead of bundling it up so in full disclosure, I’m still in a lot of pain. I’m frustrated by the situation and shaken about what happened but,” Law released a soft breath, “I need to just lean on you and let you take care of me because I know you are strong enough to hold me up.”

“That’s all I wanted.” Luffy murmured, “Sometimes I feel like I’m not, I dunno, pulling my weight in parts of our relationship.” Luffy didn’t meet Law’s eyes, fixating them instead on his engagement ring that he twisted around his finger, “You work so hard and pay for everything and you’re always so sweet and thoughtful, anybody can see it, and I try to do stuff too, cook and make your lunches and try to be quiet so you have time to rest because I know I can be a lot to handle but it feels like it’s not enough or it’s just little in comparison to you. When you pushed me away I thought, ‘great, just another thing that I can’t do for you’.” 

Law bit the inside of his cheek, enraged at himself for invalidating his partner with careless words, heart aching in time with his arm, “That’s awful, I’m sorry that you’ve felt that way, that I might have made you feel like that. I want you to know that I never saw it as that, I always pictured it as a division of labor and you know I would never lorde money over you.” He shrugged his good shoulder, “I make so much as a bonus to my job but I would do it for less because it’s work that I love and yes, I spend money and I spend it on us and on you but that’s because I want to.” He reached over to tilt Luffy’s head up so his fiancé could see the honesty in his face, “Those things that you might consider trivial mean a lot to me. I keep every note you’ve written and slipped into my lunchbox and when I’m having a rough day, the simple fact of knowing that you’ll be there when I got home is enough to keep me going. If anything, this whole experience has affirmed that I want to marry you. I want you to be my emergency contact and I want you to keep being the man who helps me to go to sleep and smiles at me every day and makes me feel like the world is nothing we can’t handle as long as we’re together. I love you with everything I am.”

Luffy leaned forward to kiss him then, whispering against his lips, “I love you too.” He tipped their foreheads to lean against each other, nose to nose, “We’re stronger together so let’s be stronger  _ together _ .” 

Law hummed in agreement, capturing Luffy’s lips for another kiss, then another and another until they were both worked up, spurred on by the reaffirmation of their love and the simplest pleasure of breathing the same air. Law moved his good hand downwards to gauge the interest of his partner, palming through the pajama bottoms and Luffy melted into the touch though drew back, “I don’t wanna hurt your arm.” 

“You could never hurt me.” He soothed, kissing at Luffy’s neck, “Just don’t grab my arm directly and I won’t break.” With Law’s guidance and encouragement, Luffy grew more comfortable with becoming emboldened, remarkably gentle yet fervent. 

Despite it having been more than twenty days since they had done any sort of sexual activity, Law’s body fell back into the rhythm as if it is a piece he had rehearsed for years, that special symphony played through their passion alone. Every other experience or partner he had paled in comparison to the pleasure he found with Luffy. There was something blessed about the bond that they had forged together, so intrinsic and wholly unique to them that he couldn’t think of anything else that came close. 

At one point, Luffy trailed his fingers along the healing skin of Law’s arm, his touch lighter than a breeze brushing through the grass as he did that one twisting motion with his head, tongue swirling as he slid up the shaft of Law’s cock and it alit something so deep inside Law he lost his control and reveled in the sensation of being able to let go and not worry about what would happen to him in the aftermath. There was nothing to fear when Luffy was there to guard his body and safekeep his soul. 

It was as he was falling asleep that Law realized the flesh that had once been dead to the world had felt Luffy’s delicate touch. 

The next morning, Law was showing off his skills with the new mobility of his reattached arm by pouring cereal and milk into bowls without spilling a drop when Luffy asked, “What are we gonna do with our last names?”

“What?” Law questioned as he very carefully set the milk jug on the countertop, making sure his elbow was bent the whole way down to not strain his wrist.

“We’re getting married, people usually change their last names.”

“You know,” Law answered as he fished spoons out of the silverware drawer, “I am actually not too sure about the etiquette for same-sex marriages.”

They were eating their breakfast in a comfortable quiet until Luffy piped up, after doing research on his phone, “So apparently one of us can change our name to the other’s, hyphenate them, or make a new one."

“Problem is- my medical degree is under my full name, and no offense to you, love, but any iteration of Dr.Monkey isn’t going to fly.” Luffy laughed at that, nose wrinkling in that adorable way that made Law swoon inside. 

He was still busy admiring the beauty of his fiancé when Luffy said thoughtfully, “I could change my name.”

“What?” Law repeated dumbly, for the second time that morning. 

“Well, your full name is Trafalgar D Water Law, which is already a mouthful. But I could add Trafalgar to mine. Hyphenate it or something.”

“Monkey-Trafalgar D Luffy.” Law tested the sounds in his mouth, “It’s not bad. Are you sure you would want to change your name?”

Luffy nodded with a soft smile, “I love you. I like being a Monkey, and I know that some couples don’t change their last names but you’re the last of your family and I want to help keep the name alive.” Law sucked on his cheeks, thoroughly moved by the sentiment. “This article says that second last names usually get dropped anyway so it’s not a huge difference especially I don’t have a ton of stuff to change.”

Law scrubbed an arm across his face, shifting to business mode so he wouldn’t start crying over his cereal, “There’s still plenty to change, we’ll need to change your passport, social security card, your insurance, your bank accounts-”

“It’s worth it.” Luffy interrupted, kaleidoscope eyes fond and glittering in the morning light. 

“You’re just saying that since I will be doing most of the paperwork.” Law teased to hear Luffy laugh again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Law and Kid play off each other so well, every second of screen time they share is a blessing. With this chapter we have officially wrapped up the first part of this fic and we're on the fast track to the wedding. 
> 
> I wonder if anyone can guess why the title is called "Countdown".


	11. The Appointments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luffy patted his thighs encouragingly for Law to sit down. They often took turns with who was on top or bottom when it came to lap sitting, regular piggybacks or on the shoulder piggybacks because Law was tall and Luffy was more than strong enough to carry his partner in any fashion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm basing this fic on the 2018 calendar in case you were wondering why some dates didn't align with this year's calendar. 
> 
> Content Warnings: Loosely described oral sex, foul language

Luffy wasn’t too sure where the month of November had gone- well actually he did: fifteen days in the hospital, three times a week therapy sessions, a whole lot of stress and worry -but suddenly it was December 1st.

They had gone to their first dance lesson since Law’s injury last night after having missed four classes and been welcomed back to the group with a promise that they could schedule additional sessions if they so wished. It was nice to go back to some semblance of normalcy, even though Law was still on leave from his job which meant it was him waiting at home for Luffy to return at the end of the workday instead of the other way around. 

Tonight they were double booked with events to attend as they attempted to work their way back into their social circles after taking such a long absence from anything that wasn’t revolved around doctor’s appointments, therapy and their home. 

The first thing they were doing tonight was going to Luffy’s family house to kick off their holiday season. Every year, as opposed to having everyone buy eight gifts for each other, they had decided that instead they would come up with a system to draw a name from a bowl and then having to buy a gift for that one person alone, secret santa style until they did their exchange of gifts after Christmas dinner. An amendment was made that there was a four year limit on repeats of the person you could give a gift to, in order to combat the same people giving each other gifts.

They arrived at the house in time for dinner, the whole house alight with joy and christmas lights, loud, warm and full of rich smells in a way that made Luffy feel at home instantly. He had missed getting to be around with everyone. (Despite their well-wishes and good intentions, he had politely asked them to stay away during Law’s recovery period, especially when Law was still in the hospital on the pretense of his fiancé never being a man who enjoyed being the center of attention and definitely not when he was hurting. They had agreed, directing their energy to make sure that their house and pets were well cared for while Luffy spent long hours by Law’s beside though they had left a signed card on the kitchen counter, clean sheets on the bed as well as three different lasagnas in the fridge.)

After dinner, when they had settled in the living room with warm drinks and dessert, Luffy patted his thighs encouragingly for Law to sit down. They often took turns with who was on top or bottom when it came to lap sitting, regular piggybacks or on the shoulder piggybacks because Law was tall and Luffy was more than strong enough to carry his partner in any fashion. Law took his place on Luffy’s lap delicately, preferring to sprawl out horizontally across Luffy’s thighs, contrary to Luffy’s method of sitting directly on Law’s lap so he could have increased height. 

“Alright, everyone remember the rules?” Nami asked, receiving a round of nods then turned to address the soon to-be-wed couple, “Law, Luffy, you two can’t get each other so if you do redraw.”

Law nodded with a sip of his mulled wine, “Sounds fair. No need to double up on Christmas.”

Nami clapped her hands, “We’re going in reverse age order this year, that means you first, Chopper.”

Chopper went to the bowl, hid his eyes with a hand so he could draw a slip from the bowl, unfolded it carefully so no one could see then giggled before he headed back to his seat.

“My turn!” Law shifted off his lap so he could be free to head to the bowl on the coffee table. Luffy pulled a slip of paper from the bowl and unfolded it, looked at the name, laughed out loud and folded it back up to return to the bowl, swirling the names around again so the slip he put back wasn’t on the top anymore. 

Usopp snorted, “Did you get Law?” 

“What are the odds?” Sanji muttered.

“1/5th that he would get one of us.” Law answered, effortlessly smart in a way Luffy never managed to do and was infinitely grateful that he had managed to hook up with a man who could do all sorts of intelligent things, like pay taxes or figure out how much to tip a waiter without having to pull out a calculator. 

Luffy dug his hand back into the bowl and got a grasp on another slip which he pulled up and unfolded to reveal Franky’s name. Pleased that he didn’t have to draw a third time, Luffy walked back to Law, sitting back down so his fiancé could once again clamber into his lap.

Next came Usopp and so on until it was Law’s turn and he got up, headed to the bowl and drew a name, sometimes getting lucky on the first go or having to fish around for a name they had already had. Unlike everyone else, Law hadn’t participated before so there was no name he couldn’t take beside Luffy’s. 

They spent another hour at the house, helping to decorate the big tree in the living room until Law glanced at his watch and held it out wordlessly to Luffy, who winced, “Oops! We gotta book it. We have a birthday party to go to.”

“Oh?” Robin asked inquisitively, “For who?”

“Heat,” Law replied, carefully pulling his coat on to avoid straining his arm, “He‘s one of Kid’s friends so we hang out whenever we’re at their house for game nights or out for drinks. We’re meeting at his tattoo shop since he’s a workaholic.”

“Should be fun!” Luffy added, even though tattoo parlors were nothing to him beside places to look at all the cool art on the wall, “See you guys soon!”

There was a chorus of goodbyes as the two of them left, heading to the van where Law got in the driver’s seat. He had gotten a lot better with one-handed driving and with his increasing mobility he was able to use his right arm for leverage on the wheel too if he did the whole motion with his shoulder instead of the wrist. On the road to the tattoo shop, Luffy glanced over at Law, face illuminated by street lights they passed as they drove, “Who’d you get?”

Law smiled at Luffy’s curiosity, “I thought I wasn’t allowed to tell.”

“I’m your fiancé.” Luffy insisted, “Let me see.”

Law switched his blinker on as he merged onto the highway, “It’s in my pocket.” Luffy took that as an invitation and lunged forward to rifle through the pockets of Law’s jeans, who cursed at the sudden invasion of personal space, “Hey! Not while I’m driving!”

Luffy pulled out the slip triumphantly, turning on one of the overhead lights so he could read, “Ooh. Nami.”

Law hummed in response, “Any suggestions on what I should get her?”

“Um, she likes clothes.” He scratched his head, thinking, “And books, jewelry and money and traveling.”

“So the more expensive gift the better?” Law asked, brainstorming already for a proper gift that fit that criteria.

“Probably.” Luffy waved his own slip about, “I got Franky.”

“What are you going to get him?”

“Um, he likes tools and cola.”

“So tools and cola?”

“I guess.” Luffy admitted, “I’m not the best at gift giving.”

Law glanced over to him with a gentle smile, “Between the two of us, we can figure out something he would like.” 

Luffy squeezed Law’s thigh in agreement and kept his hand there because he could for the rest of the ride. When they got there, Law put the van in park except Luffy was in no hurry to get out, unbuckling his seatbelt and leaning across to kiss Law. 

Law responded to his advances, twisting in his seat so their lips could have easier access with aligned torsos, and they went back and forth, the atmosphere quickly getting hot and heavy between them but in a moment to catch their breaths, muttered, “We’re going to be late.” 

“Who cares?” Luffy purred, giving one last kiss to Law’s neck, “Let’s go to the back. C’mon.” He crawled over the middle console so he could get to the open back section that didn’t have any seats though did have a heap of pillows, blankets and towels often used for traveling purposes and sometimes for rowdy actions like this. After a second’s hesitation, Law made sure the vehicle’s doors were locked before he too crawled over the middle console, long legs first to slide over the console with his arm tucked to his chest, “You know it would have been easier to just step out and come in through the door.”

“Wouldn’t be as fun though.” Luffy chimed and in the face of that logic, Law was powerless to do anything but to reach forward and get his mouth around the sensitive skin of Luffy’s neck, open mouthed, teeth scraping, tongue flicking and downright sloppy in a way that made Luffy get wound up at the lack of restraint. Luffy responded by twisting so he could unbutton Law’s spotted jeans and show just how skilled his tongue was. 

Twenty minutes later, they made it into the parlor, clinging to each and still a little flushed but they could blame the December chill.

There were about twenty people crowded inside, all laughing and talking as they drank and took turns in one of the six tattoo chairs that were open for use. Luffy was pretty sure that he was the only person there that didn’t have a tattoo, not that he particularly minded. They quickly found Heat, talking with some other guests with a beer in hand. “Happy birthday!” Luffy called out as a hello. 

The birthday boy in question smiled at them and it was an almost creepy sight with his sunken face covered in stitch-like tattoos yet his voice was soft spoken, “Thank you for coming.”

“We wouldn’t miss it.” Law assured, brushing a hand through his disheveled hair. 

They hadn’t even gotten a drink for themselves before Kid came barreling over, took one look at them and crowed, “You guys did something dirty in your car, didn’t ya?”

Luffy gaped at him, “How did you know?!”

“You just confirmed it.” Law retorted, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I always forget how bad you are at plausible deniability. You have got to learn how to lie, sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart.” Kid mocked, “I knew you guys were about to reach the sickly-cute stage when you got engaged. You’re losing your edge, Trafalgar!” 

Luffy could tell by the way Law was bristling that the two of them were about to get into an epic name calling battle when Killer sauntered up and kicked Kid in the back of his calf with a steel-toed boot, “Stop yelling. I swear I can’t take you anywhere.”

Kid yelped, hopping on one foot to grapple with his partner, “Fuck, why the steel-toed boots?! It’s always those shitty boots with you! Damnit, it’s gonna bruise for sure!”

“You’ve had worse.” Killer deadpanned to the man whose arm had been blown off, stepping over to Law and Luffy with gentle blue eyes, “It’s been a while. Glad to see you’re doing well.”

“Thanks.” Law replied, nudging Killer companionably with his hip as they both watched Kid continue to sputter and curse. 

Two beers later, Law declared, “I’m going to get a new tattoo.”

Luffy turned to him, not completely surprised that his fiancé hadn’t managed to resist the lure of their environment, “Yeah?”

Law nodded, moving to sit in an empty chair, unlacing his left boot so he could tug it off and start rolling up his jean’s leg. Law’s chest, back and arms were a work of stylistic beauty, all done by the same artist in several sessions after having been designed by Law, his thighs were a later addition but fit the overall motif as was the lower back tattoo he had gotten a bit before he met Luffy. His calves- a part of him that was rarely seen, due to his penchant for wearing skinny jeans even in the dead of summer or ankle length pants- were decorated in a hodgepodge of smaller tattoos, all done in the black ink and still around the same style but more freeform. On the back of each calf were forested mountain landscapes, the right front had a large dutchman’s pipe cactus decorating it and the left front was a kinda abstract mosaic piece that was continuously getting added onto. It had a skyline at the top, geometric shapes, a roman numeral clock, a compass and a ton of other little stuff. Tonight it looked like Law was going to add another element to the design, more gothic spires added to the skyline to increase the height.

Luffy, feeling remarkably left out yet not wanting to sit still long enough for an actual tattoo, demanded, “Someone draw on me.”

“On it.” Kid declared, wielding a marker, pushing up Luffy’s sleeve to start doodling. Kid wasn’t very good at drawing pictures so he started sketching out blueprints onto Luffy’s skin, keeping him entertained by describing the parts of the plan and what they constructed. 

When they finally left the party, this time with Luffy driving since Law had been drinking, he decided to bring up a topic he had been pondering for a few days, “Hey, Traffy?”

“Yes, dear?” Law murmured, head leaned against the window, watching the landscape pass by as they drove home, tired from all the social interaction and stimulation after spending the better part of a month isolated from the rest of the world. 

“I was thinking,” Luffy began hesitantly, “I don't want anything for Christmas this year, seriously.” 

“What?” Law raised his head from the window, frowning. 

“I mean,” Luffy stared at the marker ink on his forearm, “There’s the Christmas shuffle, and my brother’s gonna give me a gift, plus Zoro always gets me something even if I’m not his person.”

“That’s Christmas from other people, not me.” Law rebutted, looking like he was being cheated out by not being able to have another opportunity to spoil Luffy. 

“I don’t need anything else from you-” Luffy started, “We have a new house that we furnished-“

“Which we were going to move into before we got married anyway.” 

“My engagement ring.”

“That’s not a Christmas gift.”

“The nice bracelet.”

“That was a while ago.” 

“You've been hurt-”

“We have medical insurance for a reason.”

“And we're having a wedding.” 

“We don't have to pay for the wedding, you know that. Our wedding gift from Doffy is the wedding party.” 

“But we’re gonna get lots of gifts from it.”

“We really do need to finish our registry. I found some sheets that would be good for the second guest bedroom.”

“I'm already getting everything I want this holiday season.”

“If you say so.”

“I mean it. I am more than happy with everything I've already gotten this year.”

“Fine.” Law compiled, “I agree to your terms, no Christmas between the two of us this year. But next year it’s on.”

“Bet.” Luffy agreed. 

The next day, Luffy was double booked again, this time for appointments for the wedding. 

He and Law had agreed to color schemes for their wedding suits and accessories and they were both using Hawkins as their designer however they decided that they wouldn’t show each other their suits until the day they were going to get married as another way to make the day special, which meant while Law was hanging out with Shachi and Penguin, Luffy was going to try on his suit. 

It had been painstakingly made by hand, the overall form of the suit ready but still needing final details which could only be completed when Luffy put it on and faced heavy scrutiny by Hawkins. 

As instructed Luffy had brought the exact pair of shoes he was going to wear on his wedding day and stood as still as he could on a podium as Hawkins circled him with a critical eye. “I’m glad I kept the length long, with the shoes it's not as noticeable. I’m going to take it in the back so you don’t trip when you stand up and down but otherwise it all fits wonderfully.” He started to then pin parts of the fabric so it was bunched up at the length it needed to be trimmed to. Luffy tried not to fidget. “Over there.” Hawkins instructed one of his underlings who came in with their lunch order to a table nearby, “Thank you.” 

“Thanks!” Luffy chimed as well, waving a goodbye. 

“Hold still.” Hawkins chided quietly, placing another pin. With one final circle, he put down the pincushion strapped to his wrist, writing notes into a notebook nearby, “Now that we’ve finished with your fitting, let’s eat.”

There were sides of white rice, cucumber salad and different types of still-steaming gyoza which Luffy scarfed down while Hawkins ate at a more moderate pace as they talked about their lives and Luffy’s final fitting in two weeks and then he was off again. 

His second appointment was in the arts district and he felt a bit out of place stepping into the boutique, where attendants milled around helping those who were walk-ins and those with appointments with the right amount of detached professionalism to not make the situation completely awkward as the items to purchase were a more risqué than places he normally went into.

One of the attendants smiled at him encouragingly, seeing his nervousness and asking if he needed help. He told her about his appointment and very quickly, he was escorted to a large changing room with two chairs, a large three sided mirror and a raised platform. They gave him a soft robe to change into and a glass of champagne. He sat waiting in the plush armchair, dressed only in the robe and a pair of nude spanks, fiddling with his engagement ring and titling his glass to see the bubbles move. 

He had champagne before, normally only drank in celebration and even then he wasn’t a huge fan. Law had said that some people’s taste buds took longer to acclimate to the taste of alcohol and tried to get Luffy to sample different types to see if they could pique his interest but always assured that if he didn’t want it, he didn’t have to drink it. This champagne fizzed on his tongue and he was much more interested by the whole strawberry at the bottom of the glass. 

Inazuma walked in on him at the exact moment he was fishing the strawberry out of the glass with his fingers. They chuckled at the sight, “You’re brother has been telling everyone who will listen that his kid brother is getting married, I was wondering when you’d come to see me.”

Luffy popped the strawberry in his mouth, chewing, “I figured I could get a family discount.”

Ina chuckled again, taking a seat in the empty chair beside Luffy, “Of course. I’m assuming you’ll wear it all day underneath the rest of your clothes so a two piece set will be best and made for comfort as well. It should probably be done in white, off-white or maybe cream to avoid being seen through your clothes. Why don’t you tell me if there’s anything you want to highlight, or not want and we can get started?”

Luffy shrugged, having not given a ton of thought into the issue except for it was something that was best done with a consultation, “I don’t wanna be wrapped up like a present or get tangled up. I don’t know. I wanna be me, just more special.”

Ina hummed, thrumming their nails on their own glass, “I can go off of that. Why don’t I take your measurements and we can try a few things off the rack to get an idea for style. Would you mind?”

Luffy stood up, shedding the robe and stepping onto the raised platform. Despite it being December, the room was warm enough that it didn’t bother him to be standing there mostly naked. Inazuma was quick and thorough, doing an entirely different round of measurements that were written down in a flourish script. 

An hour later, he left with a slip of paper informing him of his pickup date for his custom made order. He got back to the house a little before four and Law was just getting back as well from his outing with Bepo on the leash, the large Samoyed loving the colder weather. They met at the driveway and walked to the front door together, unlocking, flickering the light switch twice and going inside. Law unclipped Bepo from his leash, allowing the dog to run free, “What were you up to today?”

Luffy leaned up to kiss Law’s cheek, “Wedding stuff. It’s a surprise though, you’re going to love it.”

“I’m sure I will.” Law murmured, wrapping both arms around Luffy’s waist to draw him into a deeper kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favorite things is fitting One Piece characters into the modern world, sometimes I follow what Oda says, other times I do my own thing but it's always a fun challenge. Hope you enjoyed!


	12. The Rings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was their first Christmas in their new house so Luffy set about to make the house as cozy and festive as possible. The first order of business, in his opinion, was to set up the tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just prefacing this chapter with the fact that Law and Luffy celebrate Christmas in a non-religious fashion 
> 
> Content Warnings: Description of PTSD attack, mentioned past suicidal intentions

Christmas was probably Luffy’s favorite holiday of the year. Firstly, because it was the only holiday he celebrated that consistently had snow which was his favorite weather event, snow was awesome and something he didn’t have often when he was growing up so he still had a degree of specialty to him. Another reason was it used to align with a break from school, something he was already ready for and a lot of his family also had breaks from their work which meant more time to hang out. There was something about the season that seemed brighter, lights were strung up on houses and trees, there was a whole genre of songs dedicated to it, people in general were friendlier. Plus the food was ridiculously good, all the different desserts, candy and hot drinks.

His childhood Christmases were meager but still warm, the ones at the family house were boisterous and fun. His first Christmas with Law, they had let the season pass by without celebration since Luffy was less than three months out from his brother’s death. Their second Christmas was much more extravagant, spending lunch at Law’s family house and dinner at Luffy’s. 

This was their first Christmas in their new house so Luffy set about to make the house as cozy and festive as possible. The first order of business, in his opinion, was to set up the tree. 

Law had one of those three foot Christmas trees that were pre lit, not having room in his apartment for anything bigger or the patience to try and wrestle with lights. They had kept that one to be put in their bedroom for their own gifts to each other though it was going to remain empty this year after Luffy had gotten Law to agree to impose a one year moratorium on their own gift giving. They had bought a new twelve foot Christmas tree that was pre lit as well since they had more space and still no patience for stringing on lights. 

Luffy dragged the large box out of the garage, hauling it to the living room to rip the box open and start to pull out the pieces. He set the base up, sorted out the tree branches which were marked with different color bands. Following the paper chart of which branches went where, he hooked the hinges into the base, building the tree up to its impressive height. At one point he had to drag out the ladder from the garage and climb up since unlike his fiancé he wasn’t over six feet tall.  Once all the limbs were in place, he went back over the tree, fluffing each branch out by pulling its limbs out to spread in different directions to make it reach its maximum fullness. With all that done he plugged it in and reached under the tree to flip the switch and light it up.

There were fifteen hundred lights that were illuminated in a bright white. He took a few steps back to admire it more, grinning wildly, “What do you think?” Bepo barked his approval while Polar swished her tail from her spot on the back of the couch. “I think it’s pretty too.” 

He affixed the black tree skirt into place underneath the tree. They still had to decorate the tree but Luffy didn’t want to do that without Law so the next order of business was to make dinner. 

One of his favorite winter meals was having any type of stew or soup. There was something about having something warm and hearty in the winter that was awesome. He missed having bread with that kind of meal but he wouldn’t bring something that Law despised into their home so crackers or pasta would work. 

In a pan with olive oil he sautéed sliced red onion until it browned then added four cloves of minced garlic, a tablespoon of Garam Marsala that Sanji had given me, along with red chili powder, turmeric and three bay leaves. Once all of those ingredients were cooked he put in the cubes of beef which he stirred around the pan until it started to brown.  He transferred the contents of the pan into one of their larger pots and put in cut white mushrooms and fingerling potatoes, poured in four cups of miso broth and some white wine vinegar. Raising the heat on the stove to a boil he put a lid on the pot and the prep work was done. It needed to simmer for about an hour so he could do whatever else he needed.

He went back into the garage and grabbed all the new ornaments they had bought to decorate the big tree. Their color scheme was white, silver and black to match the aesthetic of their house and they had gone a little crazy with all the different types they had gotten but it was a big tree and they were excited.  He was arranging the ornaments by color when Bepo took off to the front door, since he apparently heard Law in the driveway and a few seconds later a familiar voice called out, “I smell dinner.”

“Hey, babe.” He yelled back while continuing in his efforts. 

Law strolled into the grand room, cocking a hip, looking at the tree with a twinkle in his golden eyes, “What are you up to?” 

“It’s December officially!” Luffy cheered, “Christmas is coming!”

Law sat on the couch to tug his shoes off, “I thought we weren’t doing Christmas?”

Luffy stacked boxes of silver baubles on top of each other, “We’re not having a Christmas, but we always celebrate it.”

Law laughed quietly, picking his shoes up with one hand to carry them upstairs, “I see.” 

“How was your day?” Luffy questioned when Law came back down the stairs.

He had spent the day at the hospital for the first time in a long time, having gone in to aid as an by-standing instructor during a surgery to shadowing medical students, “You wouldn’t believe the crazy ways people get into trouble, humanity gets stupid close to the holidays.” 

Luffy snorted, “They do?” 

“Yes,” Law answered, brushing a hand through his hair flippantly, “It’s quite annoying.”

“Quite.” Luffy parroted even though he never used that word in his vocabulary. 

Law laughed, pressing a kiss to the side of Luffy’s cheek, his fiancé’s sideburns scratching up against his face, warm breath filling up his ear. Luffy sighed quietly, overcome, reaching an arm to grab Law’s sleeve, keeping them side by side for a moment longer so he could bask in the warmth and love that radiated off of Law. 

They ate the stew Luffy had made then put on a Christmas movie to play in the background as they decorated the tree, hanging up both regular ornaments and ones that were different shapes including one personalized engraved that they had bought last year in celebration of their first Christmas celebrated as a couple. Law surprised Luffy with another new engraved ornament that celebrated their engagement and they hung both in a place of honor on the front side of the tree for all to see. 

After, Law let Luffy take the first shower for all his hard work constructing the tree, curling up on the couch with Bepo, Polar and a book while he waited. 

Luffy blasted music from the speaker they kept in the bathroom, singing along passionately as he rubbed his coconut body wash all over his body with a loofa. He had been trying to turn around so his back could get under the shower spray when he slipped and fell down. Normally, this little accident would be fine- he was a rough and tumble kinda guy, his whole childhood had been a series of bandages and Law was always scolding him for using too much soap and making the whole shower a lathered mess, he would just laugh off the incident- except this time when he sat down hard onto the marble tile, he felt the impact as it went up every single vertebrae in his spine. Something about the way his teeth jar, the soapy slickness that covered his hands and a sudden blare of clashing drums from the speaker meant that he was gone faster than he could realize the warning signs.

Ever since Ace had died and Luffy had become cognizant of the world around him, he had suffered from PTSD. Every doctor or specialist that had talked with him, including Law, had assured him that this was nothing out of the ordinary for someone who had gone through so much trauma both physically and mentally in such a short amount of time. The form he suffered from manifested in intrusive memory episodes where something would trigger a recall that completely took him out of reality, sometimes for hours, leaving him sometimes coming back to himself with hours long gaps of time missing from his recollection. 

There were two explicit memories that he always went back to and both memories triggered various responses depending on his overall mood or what specifically had incited an episode. There were times when he cried helplessly while curled into himself, when he stared vacantly to nothing specific in a trance induced by memories, when he hid from all other people by tucking himself into corners or under furniture, when his fight response was activated, when he screamed and broke things, when he tried to escape wherever he was at and anything that was in his way was the enemy. 

It was the violence that was the problem, people were normally sympathetic to his plight until they experienced one of his breakdowns and realized that even in an unaware state he could throw a punch hard enough to take grown men off their feet. They had given him medications to try and control it when he was in the hospital so he wouldn’t cause any more damage to the building or the orderlies that tried to subdue him. He still had a prescription for it but hadn’t taken a single pill since the day he got out of the hospital because it made driving or standing in a kitchen or by a window on a floor higher than the first dangerous.

Law had backed him up a hundred percent, adopting a method of prevention by avoidance not medication, sticking a calendar to the fridge to track frequencies to try and pinpoint problematic dates, a chart to list specific things that they knew would set him off, logged whatever foods, drinks amounts of sleep and stressors Luffy faced to see if there was any correlation, had forbidden any sort of candles or fire, he hadn’t gotten mad when Luffy had once broken his nose back before they were even dating. He had been steadfast and soothing, always trying to gauge Luffy’s mood before he started to get him lucid again, altering his strategies depending on what he saw. Sometimes he came back wrapped in Law’s arms with tears being wiped away, other times he was crouched nearby to avoid being hit, always to the litany of Law’s voice, speaking about nothing and everything to try and draw Luffy back to the present. 

This time when Luffy was able to realize that the shower was still running, pouring lukewarm water over his prone body, Law was perched just outside of the shower and smiled at him gently as he halted his monologue. 

Luffy blinked the water beading down his forehead, voice rough as he asked, “How long?”

“About 25 minutes, I think.” Law answered in a light tone though he couldn't hide his worry, “Shower’s been on for around forty. I was going to ask how long you were going to hog the hot water only to find you like that. I don’t know how long you were down before I came in. I'm glad I came to check up on you. That was a more dangerous setting for you to be in. I’ve waterboarded enough people to know.” 

Slightly unnerved at the idea that Law could have walked into the bathroom to find him drowned to death in the shower, Luffy tried to stand up. Law quickly shut the water off, handing over a towel, “You wouldn’t let me touch you earlier and I knew you would get cold if I turned the shower off, I decided to just let you stay there and hope you’d come back before the hot water ran out.”

“Thanks.” Luffy mumbled, wincing at the headache that made itself known abruptly. He normally dealt with sore throats from screaming or crying and headaches from the intense mental episodes. Law handed over painkillers with a glance of water sympathetically, before moving to help Luffy dry off, rubbing the towel gently over his scarred body and a blow dryer through his hair. With a combination of his fiancé brushing his hair free of tangles meditatively, the exhaustion that always lingered after returning to the present and the ocean waves Law was now playing from the portable speaker, Luffy fell asleep within seconds of being tucked in between soft sheets comforted by the fact that Law would be there to guard him in his slumber and tomorrow would be a new day. 

—

Two days later, Law settled in the passenger seat, tossing his drawstring bag into the backseat, after another round of therapy which Luffy was picking him up from. He looked at Luffy eagerly, “I did very well at my session today. I think I deserve a treat.”

Luffy made sure the doors were locked, twisted in his seat to face Law and started to push down the waistband of Law’s pants and bend over over his fiancé’s lap. 

Law jolted, placing hands on Luffy’s shoulders to raise him up, “Whoa.” He laughed a bit, “Though I appreciate the enthusiasm and I will be taking you up on that offer later, I was thinking more along the line of something more material for both of us to enjoy.”

“Lunch?”

“That too, yes.” Law agreed, handing over his phone with an address pulled up on his GPS, “Here, follow this.”

Luffy followed the instructions, driving the both of them to the shopping district, where they arrived at their destination, a large jewelry store. “Oh!” Luffy cried in delight, clutching Law’s uninjured arm, “We’re gonna get our wedding rings!” 

Law nodded, smiling, “That we are.” He led Luffy into the jewelry store, “This is where I got your engagement ring.” 

An associate came over to them upon entry, recognizing Law with a smile, “Dr.Trafalgar, I see you’ve brought your fiancé in. Are we looking for our wedding bands today or something else?” 

“Wedding bands.” Law answered and Luffy felt another jolt of excitement run through him. He knew they were getting married, he had the engagement ring on his finger to prove it yet the idea of leaving the store having bought the rings that he and Law would wear for the rest of their lives was giddying. 

They were led to the men’s section and began looking over wedding band pairs or matching sets, quickly ruling out both white gold or solid gold, instead opting for a gold ring with an alternate metal so it would match both of their styles. The longer they browsed they also decided that they wanted matching wedding bands and they weren’t opposed to a diamond as long as it wasn’t too gaudy or stuck too far out since Luffy was too clumsy for any other type.

Luffy was peering at a tri-color braided rope band with loops of rose gold and yellow gold and silver inlaid in a bed of silver since it looked a lot like his engagement ring which was kinda neat, when Law beckoned him over, pointing out a ring to him in the case, “What do you think?”

It was a simple ring yet elegant, made up of three separate bands welded together, the two outside ones a polished platinum and the inside one a 14K yellow gold with a small rectangle diamond in the middle where it had been inlaid so when you ran a finger over it there was a small bump but no protruding edges. “It’s perfect.”

“I thought so too.” Law exclaimed the ring thoroughly, “The diamond’s streamlined.”

“Just a little flashy.” Luffy added, “It goes well with my engagement ring. It’ll be gold, silver, gold, silver.”

“It’s understated enough to go with my style as well but not too boring for you.” Law grinned, “Do you like it?”

“I really do.” Luffy nodded, already imagining the pretty thing on his finger and much more importantly Law’s, “How much is it?”

Law waved the question off, “Don’t ask that, the cost is fine. Whatever it costs will earn itself back in use, since they are going to be on our hands forever.” He squeezed Luffy’s left hand, “So, yes?”

“Yes!” Luffy declared, beaming.

Law turned to the associate helping them, “That’s the one.”

“Marvelous! Let’s get both of your sizes and we’ll get them ordered.” They were brought to one of the desks so that their sizes and payment type could be gathered. While Law dealt with stuff like warranty and card information, Luffy glanced around the store, catching a glimpse of a fur coat that looked surprisingly familiar.

He left Law at the table, heading over to confront the person, “Hey, Croco! How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while!”

Crocodile glanced at him, then did a double take, scowling around his cigar, “What’s a brat like you doing in my store?” 

Luffy gazed up at him in admiration, “You own this store, that’s so cool! How weird is it that I ended up here? I’m getting wedding rings with my fiancé, we’re gonna get married soon. Look, my engagement ring is from here too!”

“Oh?” The older man was obviously surprised, “Who was crazy enough to want to marry you?”

"That would be me-“ Law replied dryly as he walked over, “Dr.Trafalgar Law.” 

“Trafalgar?” He repeated in recognition, “You’re one of Doflamingo’s.” 

“I am.” Law declared, shifting his weight in a way Luffy knew to loosen the holder of the scalpel he carried in his boot, “What’s it to you?” 

Crocodile didn’t seem interested in starting a brawl in the middle of his jewelry shop, waving his ringed hand, “I have a deal set up with him.”

Luffy gasped in delight while Law relaxed, “Looks like fate.” 

Law ended up getting a broader band, since his fingers were longer than Luffy and he didn’t have an engagement ring. Luffy’s was just a little more delicate in size so it would work better with his engagement ring and his smaller hands. They got both on discount from Crocodile, stating that it was both due to his deal with the Donquixote Family in the underworld and as a wedding gift to Luffy. 

The associate handed over their receipt and warranty paperwork, “They’ll be fitted in about a week and a half, we’ll give you a call when they’re ready to be picked up. Now if anything happens to it afterwards or you need something changed, you just come in and we’ll set you right up.”

“Thank you for your help again.” Law replied, folding both together so they wouldn’t get lost or separated. 

“Of course. Have a wonderful wedding.”

“We will!” Luffy confirmed, practically skipping out of the store and waving goodbye to Crocodile on the way out who raised a hand in farewell.

Law followed at a normal gait, “Alright, wedding rings: check. Suits: check, florist: check, wedding favors: check, DJ: check, catering: check, bar services: check, registry: check, website: check, photographer: check.” They reached the van and both got into their seats, Law pulling out his phone to work on their to-do list. “All that we have to do is the cake tasting, pick a date and a venue so we can send out invitations and plan our honeymoon. Nothing major.” He finished sarcastically. 

“But first lunch.” Luffy reminded, putting the vehicle into gear.

“Right,” Law affirmed, “Can’t think on an empty stomach especially on such important decisions. We need brain food, I vote for sushi, a lot of fish are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids which is an excellent choice for brain health.”

Luffy swooned, already starting to drive to the nearest sushi restaurant he could think of, “I love that I’m getting married to a smart man.”

Law shot him a dazzling grin, “I am choosing to marry you, so yes, I would consider myself a smart man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will continue to shout from the rooftops that Ace's death fundamentally changed Luffy's character and psyche. One Piece canon does a better job than some other Shounens by depicting this but I'm standing by intense PTSD triggered by blood, burning smells and fire, especially in a modern AU Sabo can't inherit Ace's powers.


	13. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Luffy!” Sanji called out, “Come help me unload my car since your rugged fiancé can’t!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Emotional manipulation

At a little past three o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, Law opened the door to find Sanji on the other side, arms full of large cylindrical containers. He grinned at the sight of Law, “Nice look, mountain man.”

Law opened the door wider to let the chef in, scowling, “Well, excuse me for not getting to the shaving section of my physical therapy yet.” It was true though, ever since his arm had been cut off and subsequently reattached, he hadn’t been able to shave like he normally did. He could use his electric trimmer for the overall length but wasn’t able to do his usual clean edges with his straight razor. Which meant by now his facial hair had evolved from a goatee to full stubble, at least he could style it one handed so it wasn’t completely unsightly. 

“Luffy!” Sanji called out, “Come help me unload my car since your rugged fiancé can’t!”

“Coming!” Came a shout from upstairs and feet started to thrum down the stairs.

Sanji stalked to the kitchen to deposit the containers in his arms and Law followed, “Not that it’s a bother, but what are you doing here?”

Sanji started to spread out the round containers he held over the counter, “We planned to do the tasting today.”

Law frowned, “I thought we rescheduled?”

“We did, I decided I would come anyway. You’re not busy and I had time. The faster this is done, the quicker I can start planning.” Sanji directed to Luffy, “There’s three more in my trunk, go get those and don’t drop them.” 

“I made a bunch of different cupcakes for you to sample because I decided that it was the better option. Cakes are fine but they’re a hassle to transport and decorate.” Luffy came in with the three remaining containers. “So we're going with cupcakes, I have twelve different flavors, three samples of each but if there’s anything here that you don’t see and want I can do that too in a follow up.” 

Law looked at all of the containers, “Are you leaving them here? That’s thirty-six cupcakes, what are we supposed to do with that many?” He didn’t even eat more than one cupcake on a good day, much less so many.

Sanji rolled his visible eye, “It was the smallest batch I could make of each type. He’ll eat them all in a day.”

“He absolutely will not.” Law corrected, fixing Luffy with a serious look, “Because if he does and he gets sick, his fiancé will not help hold his hair nor will his fiancé clean up the aftermath. He may eat half of the ones he samples today and three everyday after and not after nine pm.” Luffy conceding, nodded, some sense of restraint hammered into him after over two years living with Law.

Sanji opened the cupcake containers up, each one with six cupcakes, pointing first at Luffy then at Law, “He’s easy, he’ll take anything I throw at him. You are the one to focus on and your marriage is a challenge for me. I’m going to have to choose three cupcakes that compliment each other in taste and decoration that also feel in sync with your personalities.”

Law wasn’t sure how cupcakes were supposed to portray anything else about a person except for their favorite flavor but that wasn’t what he was hung up on, “Three?” 

“It’s typical that there’s one different cake for each groom and I thought that a third flavor would be a good option to help cover any flavor profile gaps we missed.” Sanji spread his hands out like a magician unveiling his tricks, bright in a way Law only ever saw when he was talking about food, “If you pick chocolate and vanilla there are some people who’ll want strawberry so it’s best to cover our bases.”

”You don’t have to-” Law began though Sanji cut him off quickly, “It’s your wedding, I’m doing three flavors and if you keep making a fuss I’m going to make all twelve flavors and you’re going to have to deal with it.”

Luffy kissed any further protest off of Law’s lips, “Just go with it, babe, he shows his love with food.”

“I’ve got some wedding classics, some more sophisticated palate ones and some other assorted ones.” He shoved forward the first two containers, “We’ve got a rose sponge, an earl gray tea sponge and a lavender sponge all topped with vanilla buttercream chocolate curls. I figured we would only choose one of these three if we did choose one so it’s alright if they’re similar in toppings.”

The next two containers were slid forward, “Then we’ve got our classics. There's an almond cake with almond cream and a white chocolate buttercream, a lemon cake with swirled raspberry frosting and lemon buttercream. A chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream and salted caramel drizzle, and a vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream.”

The last three containers were pointed out, “Here’s the more original ones, I got boozy with three of them since it’s a celebration and people are going to be drinking anywhere. There’s a champagne cake with strawberry mousse and champagne buttercream, a red velvet with cream cheese spiked frosting with amaretto, and a vanilla with coconut, pecans, and bourbon topped with french vanilla buttercream. Plus, I have another dark chocolate cake but I put different swiss meringue buttercream on top of each one so there’s orange, strawberry or raspberry. Let’s start tasting.”

Sanji was accurate with Luffy being very obviously in heaven throughout the whole experience and offering few opinions besides things were yummy except for saying that he didn’t like any of the floral tasting ones or the almond so now their options were narrowed down to eight choices. Law was careful to only take a single well-composed bite of each cupcake to try and sample every component without filling up before he got to the last one. As much as he liked citrus, he felt like it wouldn’t match the theme of their night so the lemon one was set aside as well. The champagne one was tossed out of the race for similar reasons as was the vanilla with bourbon. 

With the first round of decisions made, Law was about to allow himself another bite of the remaining cupcakes when he noticed something, “We’ve only tasted eleven.”

“I was saving this one to see if you made any choices before. Sanji replied sagely, offering forward the final cupcake to sample. “Have a taste, it’s a black truffle cupcake with cream cheese frosting.”

Law peeled back the cupcake liner, cutting the dessert in half with his fork to get a cross section, “How do you get the truffles in it? I don’t see any chunks.”

Sanji grinned, “You make your own truffle butter by steeping it in heavy whipping cream. Took a lot of test runs to get the flavor to come through in the right balance, you could use truffle oil but the flavor is harder to control then.”

“You’re a mad scientist!” Luffy declared laughingly, mouth already full.

Law took a bite, hesitant to see what an editable fungi tasted like in a cupcake, then put his fork down to ask, “What’s in this?”

Sanji raised a curled eyebrow, “Besides the usual ingredients; truffle butter and sourwood honey. 

“That’s what it was.” Law muttered, picking up his fork to go in for another bite, savoring the taste on his tongue. It was almost like an olive oil cake in texture, very tender and moist without being too dense or oily. There wasn’t so much as a distinct taste from the truffles besides a subtle oaky nuttiness but rather a rich smell that enveloped the dessert which would be masked by other more sugary frostings but the cream cheese was subdued enough to let it shine. The cupcake by itself was pretty neutral with the taste of the sourwood honey coming though- almost a buttery caramel with an aftertaste of spices like he had eaten gingerbread- and the cream cheese frosting with its sweet tang was just enough. He pushed the plate forward, “This is a contender.”

The red velvet while extremely good and something he would enjoy, unfortunately for the same reason Luffy didn’t like it because you could taste the alcohol in the frosting and was taken out of play. Law looked between the vanilla with chocolate and the dark chocolate with different swiss meringues, “I like the idea of having a simple vanilla with chocolate as a people pleaser, problem is, is it too simple?

Sanji hummed, “That depends on your perspective I guess. None of these are final drafts, I still have to work out the additional decorative toppings.” 

“You mentioned neapolitan earlier. Do you think you could work in strawberry somewhere?”

“I’m assuming you still want the vanilla with chocolate so I could make a preserve filling to pipe in or a drizzle.”

“We already have a drizzle if we go with the salted.”

“Why not just a whole strawberry?” Luffy piped up, “People eat like chocolate covered strawberries whole, don’t they?"

“Of course!” Sanji exclaimed, “I can do milk chocolate dipped with a white and dark drizzle on top, that’ll match the motif of the salted caramel but still be different enough. That’ll be a chocolate cake base and a vanilla one. Then is our third the truffle?”

“It’s not sweet enough.” Luffy complained, having gone back to some of Law’s one bite cupcakes to clean up the kitchen counter. 

“I can fix that with the topper, I’ll do a real chocolate truffle on top.” Sanji stated before adding, “Are you sure you want that one though? It’s the most expensive one to make, those truffles aren’t cheap.”

Normally Law would be considering the cost of goods, especially since they were going to put in such a large order and already had a bunch of other expenses. He had always been frugal with his large yearly salary, opting to put whatever he could in the bank. It was the reason he was able to put down such a large deposit on their brand new home, including the no expense spared furniture outfitting, it was why he wasn’t overly concerned about not being to return to his job more than the existential crises it would induce because he had enough money in the bank to keep them in their current lifestyle for at least three years with nothing more than Luffy’s meager $8.50 an hour. However it was their wedding they were talking about, the whole reception was centered around food for Luffy’s sake and Law had enjoyed that cupcake like he rarely did with any dessert so it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. Until he realized that it wasn’t _ his _ sacrifice to make. 

When Law had gotten out of the hospital and was showing promise for recovery, Doffy had facetimed him when Luffy was in the room, talking to the both of them and wishing Law a speedy recovery then insisted that he pay for their wedding as a celebratory wedding gift. It was a power move, an offer that Law couldn’t refuse outright without jeopardizing Luffy asking to know why, meaning he had to fake a smile and thank his tormentor for his generosity. Doffy had promised to pay for everything where they could either send him the bill directly or give him the receipts to get reimbursement, no caps on spending. This was Law’s way to execute revenge, to take that generosity and abuse it until the very offer was regretted and it started with cupcakes, “The fuck do I care? I’m not paying for it. Put some of that gold edible leaf on it if you want, let’s go all out. You only get married once, right?”

Luffy almost choked on a cupcake, shocked with the abrupt change of attitude when it came to money while Sanji matched Law grin for grin, apparently catching on to his scheme to screw over a father figure, “You’re right. After all, it is supposed to be the best day of your life.”

—

The next day, Law was continuing his diabolical plan to rack up a massive bill with eagerness as they went to one of their favorite cafes for breakfast, even though they rarely were able to go since it was on the far side of town and Law often had little time to spare in the mornings for a lengthy breakfast. 

Today, a Sunday, Luffy was off of work and Law was still not cleared to go back to work, meaning they could splurge on their breakfast since they were also on that side of town to go shopping for official wedding invitations to pass out to family, friends and coworkers. They had chosen this business above others because they made and sent out the invitations for Law and Luffy as well as handled the RSVP list so they didn’t have to worry about it. Their wedding planning had been pushed back due to Law’s injury and the rest of hectic life. Today, however, procrastination was coming to an end. It had to, they were running out of time. Everything needed to be finalized soon or else they risked people not being able to come from scheduling issues. 

They ordered their breakfast and drinks off the chalkboard menu, commandeering a four-seater table so they could open up their wedding binder and consult for details. They had yet to select a date or venue both of which they needed for the invitations. It was a rookie mistake Law knew, since most venues were booked up for months in advance for specific dates yet something had recently gone ajar with their wedding planning. Neither of them could enunciate the issue but they both felt unsatisfied with their current plans for a quick run to city hall followed by a reception somewhere in the second week of January. They were still enthusiastic for the party they were planning in great detail and desperate to be married soon yet struggled to hammer out crucial details as if there was something inside them rebelling against the thought. 

Maybe it was because Law’s injury had thrown them so far off their groove, maybe it was because as much as they would enjoy the celebration, they didn’t actually need to get married since it would change nothing in their lives besides last names and taxes. Law was pondering the issue as he ate his breakfast- a veggie egg wrap full of scrambled egg, swiss chard, caramelized onions, shredded cheddar and potatoes in comparison to Luffy’s two meat-heavy breakfast burritos. In between bites of his breakfast, he was scrolling through his phone, looking for hall information when he stumbled across a listing that piqued his interest. 

He read over the information on his own, then held the phone over to Luffy, “Look at this.”

“It's a big ship.”

“A cruise ship.”

“That's cool.”

“It's for rent.”

“Okay.”

“We could rent it for a day.” 

Wide eyes blinked in surprise, “You want to rent a cruise ship?”

“For the wedding.” Law clarified, growing in excitement at the prospect. 

Luffy gulped down a bite of his burrito to ask, “What happened to using a hall for a party?” 

“A hall costs money too” Law argued, “And it's been done a million times. This will be something special. It fits perfectly, we both love the ocean.”

“But we wanted-”

“We wanted,” Law interrupted lightly, “To have fun. We wanted to have a night to remember.”

Luffy still seemed uncertain, "What about our plans?" 

“Screw our plans. Let's make new ones.” Law reached for his fiancé’s hand, “Doesn't this feel right to you?” 

Luffy pursed his lips together, on the verge of making a decision, “I do like ships and the thought of getting married on the ocean is really nice but weren’t we going to get married at the justice of the peace?”

“We can find an officiant.” Getting an officiant would be easy, especially since Law wasn’t above bribery to make someone’s schedule open up.

“For when?” That was the important question, they needed a date that was easily accommodable for a majority of the guests they were inviting, far enough away that they could finish planning while being a soon enough day for their desires, “What about on New Year’s Eve? A lot of people already have the day off from work and the day after so it doesn't matter that it’s a Monday night. We won't have to go far, just enough to get out of the harbor. They’ve had weddings there before so we know that it’ll be well equipped. We can invite a lot more people and we won't have to worry about most of the decorations because it's a ship, what more can you want?”

“You’re right.” Luffy agreed, warming up to the idea.

“Wouldn't this be better? We get married on New Year's Eve, kiss at midnight surrounded by fireworks from the city, start the new year being married.” 

“That would be so pretty.” Luffy murmured dreamily, “It would be nice if we could stop stressing about it and just do it. It sounds like tons of fun!” 

“So, that's a yes?” Law prompted eagerly. 

“Yes!” Luffy declared, leaning over in his chair so they could kiss soundly, eyes bright with excitement, “There’s so much to do though!” 

“We can do it,” Law declared, “We're young and in love, the world is nothing compared to us.” 

“Right!”

Law called the number on the website as Luffy went back to the counter to get crullers which was the cafe’s trademark pastry. He learned that the cruise ship advertised was booked however there was a smaller vessel available due to a previous cancellation- smaller being seventy to three hundred-fifty people which was more than enough room. They would be allowed to use the top deck to hold the ceremony and the large hall for the reception which both had the needed chair/tables. They were also allowed to bring in whatever else that they wanted as opposed to some venues that forced you to run services through them. Law left his contact information with a hold on the vessel until they gave final work of confirmation. Luffy listened in on the conversation with rapt attention as he ate crullers, sucking glaze off his fingers as he nodded along with Law’s confirmation to call back by the end of workday to officially book their event. 

Law hung up the phone, finally able to eat a pastry himself, “Alright. We have it on hold for now and will need to drop by in the next week to go over details if we want it. All we have to do is call Doffy and see if he’s okay with it.” 

Luffy sipped his hot chocolate, “You think he’ll let us rent a ship?” 

“I think so,” Law replied with a sip of his well-brewed espresso, “Since we’re already saving money on food, cake and entertainment and the ship would save money on decorations.”

“It’d be way cool.” Luffy said around a mouthful of cruller. 

“It would indeed.” Law allowed himself a five minute break between calls to eat. The crullers were airy with a hint of vanilla and the glaze that topped them wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet. He and Luffy chatted about the idea more so Law had a firm grasp of the situation as he rang the phone, saying as a greeting, “Doffy.”

There was a muffled sound, probably someone getting killed in the background before Doflmanigo purred, “Law, my boy, what can I do for you?”

“I have a lead on location and date for the wedding.” Law explained, listening to the distinct sound of someone getting gutted on the other side of the line and grateful he didn’t put it on speaker in the middle of the cafe. 

Despite having previously tried to blackmail Law into leaving Luffy, Doflamingo had taken a great interest in their planning, asking for updates often, “Really?”

Luffy snatched the phone from Law’s hands, to crow, “Two words: cruise ship!” 

Law took the phone back to clarify, “It’s not a cruise ship. It’s a small marine vessel. 70-350 people, December 31st.” 

Doffy hummed, “That’s very soon.”

Law looked at the dazzling man sitting next to him, who had stuck by him for two whole years already and was planning to do so for the rest of their lives, “Why wait to be wed?” 

Doffy chuckled over the sound of someone dying, “Why wait indeed. Send me the bill.”

“Will do.” Law confirmed, already planning how exorbitant he was going to make the evening. 

“Thanks!” Luffy called loud enough so he could be heard. 

Law was readying himself to say goodbye and hang up when Doflamingo added, “Oh, Law, why don’t bring your fiancé and have dinner with me soon.”

“Dinner?” He gaped, mind racing as he tried to think of a way out of it. Luffy and Doffy did not mix well together, especially if Law was the only one there to act as a buffer. 

Doffy, unaware or uncaring of Law’s current mental position, said, “I’ll send you the info.”

“Wait, what?!” Before he could get another word in, the phone was hung up. He grimaced a bit as he informed his fiancé, “We’re having dinner with Doffy.”

Big eyes widened even further in slight panic, “Alone?” 

“Maybe,” Law answered with a shrug, “I think at a restaurant.”

“When?” They were certainly going to be busy these next few weeks.

“He hasn’t said yet.” Law put his phone on the table, taking a sip of his now cooled coffee, “He is however going to pay for our boat.” 

“Yay!”

After they had cleaned their table, putting their wedding binder back into Luffy’s backpack and standing up to head out to the van to go to the invitation place, Law clapped his hands, “Alright, it is December 9th and we are now going to be married on the 31st. That gives us a little over three weeks to get it all together. Let’s get to work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I think that you can feasibly book a wedding venue three weeks before you get married? Maybe? Let's chalk it up to Luffy's good luck. 
> 
> So now you know, the fic is titled "Countdown" because starting on December 24th, we're going to go day by day with Law and Luffy up to and through their wedding. Hope you enjoyed!


	14. The Marriage License

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I made rice krispes snowmen for dessert!” Luffy added brightly, gesturing to the glass domed cake stand sitting on the counter. He had spent hours earlier today, making rice krispes from scratch, forming them into big and small balls that he decorated with different types of candy and icing. He was very proud of how incredibly cute they came out, only three looked like they were melting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Emotional Manipulation

All at once it seemed like time was racing forward. It was like the moment they chose their wedding date, they had signed some sort of agreement that every time they blinked a whole hour passed and apparently they blinked a lot because it was the twentieth of December. 

They had stayed plenty busy with Luffy going to work while Law worked on wedding planning stuff at the house with them spending the evenings together. There was also Law’s therapy, dancing lessons on Friday and hanging out with their friends and family that made the time seem to go by faster. 

Tonight they were hosting Luffy’s older brother and his wife over for dinner and an early Christmas since they hadn’t been able to visit the new house yet due to their work.

The sun had already set by the time a nondescript car pulled up to their driveway but the outside of the house was illuminated cheerily with Christmas lights that they had hired a service to hang for them. Luffy ran out with a coat half-tugged on and his sandals flopping against the snow-covered pavement to greet them eagerly. 

Sabo wasn’t even out of the car before he jumped onto his big brother, wrapping himself around Sabo’s neck and shoulders who laughed, clinging back to Luffy with strong arms covered in a dark blue peacock, “Hey, Lu, Happy Housewarming and Merry Early Christmas!” 

“Are you so excited?!” Koala asked, wrapped up in a pink poncho, hurrying to get out of the car as well to hug him and press a kiss to his cheek, “You’re getting married in eleven days!”

“I know! It’s crazy!” He cheered, jumping from foot to foot in the snow, “C’mon, let’s go inside.” 

Law had remained in the house because the cold made his arm ache unless he was tightly bundled up along with a compression sleeve so he met them just inside the front door. Koala gave him a brief side hug on his left side, pressing a kiss to his cheek too.

Sabo enclosed Law in a tight hug, careful not to jostle his right arm too much which Law returned stiffly. He still wasn’t very used to hugs from other people besides Luffy or Cora but that was okay, not everyone liked hugs as much as Luffy. When they parted, Sabo held Law’s shoulders gently for a moment longer, saying with softly glowing eyes, “Aw, you’re just as guarded as Ace was when we met.” 

Law shot a measured look at Luffy, admitting, “I’m not sure if that is a compliment or not.”

Luffy shrugged, he could see what Sabo was talking about with how Law went through the world with a mental shield up just like Ace had yet they both had warm souls underneath, powerful love coupled with compassion. 

They took their shoes and coats off, leaving them tucked in the shoe organizer and on the hooks hanging from the wall. Once they had gotten through the entryway, Koala gasped delightfully, “What a beautiful home!”

“I’d say so,” Sabo declared, looking around as Luffy beamed with pride- they had worked hard to make their house feel like a home and done a lot to spruce it up for the holidays- “Pictures don’t do it justice!” 

“And here I thought a picture was worth a thousand words.” Law remarked dryly which made Luffy giggle while he continued, “The house isn’t anywhere where I would want it to be but with my whole arm getting cut off and the craziness of the wedding planning, it’s been on the back burner once we got it to a livable state. Everything’s unpacked, I just have a lot of projects to finish to polish it up.”

Bepo came over to greet their guests, tail wagging much to their combined delight. Law and Luffy let them fuss over the Great Pyrenees as they went to check on the dinner they were making. 

They had decided on serving pork chops baked in the oven in a cassolette dish cooked with rice and a can of cream of mushroom soup served with roasted vegetables as an easy dinner that allowed them to interact with their guests. “Red or white wine?” Law asked the two other legal drinkers, “We’re having pork so I’ve got Beaujolais or Chardonnay.”

Sabo hummed, squishing Bepo’s face, “The Beaujolais sounds great.” Law started to uncork the light red wine to pour into three glasses as Luffy grabbed a grape soda from the fridge for himself, pouring it into a fourth wine glass so he could feel like he was apart 

Koala came over to the kitchen, carrying a small canvas bag, “We brought back fresh figs from our most recent trip and picked up some prosciutto on our way.”

“Wonderful,” Law grabbed some small plates from the cabinet and Luffy got some napkins and a knife, “We’ll have that for an appetizer, the main course is almost ready.”

“And I made rice krispes snowmen for dessert!” Luffy added brightly, gesturing to the glass domed cake stand sitting on the counter. He had spent hours earlier today, making rice krispes from scratch, forming them into big and small balls that he decorated with different types of candy and icing. He was very proud of how incredibly cute they came out, only three looked like they were melting.

Law carried two glasses in one hand and Luffy brought the other two, running back to get the plates for their appetizers. 

Koala took a sip of her wine, curled up on the couch, asking, “So, Law, are you still a cardio-thoracic surgeon?” 

“Yes. I’ve been working at the same hospital for seven years,” He flexed his right fist, “I’m on disability right now but hopefully sometime next year I’ll be able to transition back into working.” 

Luffy nodded in agreement with his words, stuffing prosciutto in his mouth. Law’s arm was finally deemed usable and stable enough to go without the sling as long as he promised to continue to be careful. He couldn’t carry anything heavier than ten pounds, the mobility in his fingers had continued to be limited enough that he couldn’t manage to hold a pencil and Luffy had to tie his shoelaces. Law had been satisfied with his progress so far, as were his doctors and physiotherapists. 

“You must be looking forward to getting back to work,” Sabo remarked, taking a measured sip, “It must be driving you insane.”

Law sighed, leaning back onto the couch, “It was at first, especially when my arm was hurting so much but you know the last few weeks, it’s been nice to have an extended break. I’ve been going non-stop since I started my undergrad. What about you,” Law asked politely, “How’s your work been?” His face contorted, “Or am I not allowed to ask that? You know what, don’t answer that, I don’t need to know.” 

Luffy giggled at his fiancé’s awkwardness, “Real smooth, babe.” 

Koala giggled too but she was graceful enough to move the conversation along, “It’s been well, slow and steady going. We always say, it only takes one spark to light the fire of revolution.”

Law snorted, “That’s a catchy way of putting an attempt to overthrow a government.”

“Well, your family would know about illegal work, wouldn’t they?” Sabo shot back with a curled smile. 

Law cocked an eyebrow, not fazed, “Background check? I’m impressed, you must have some high connections or some good hacking skills.” 

“Easy, boys.” Koala soothed, casting a look of mutual annoyance towards Luffy who chimed, “Be nice.”

Their partners both eased off, being satisfied with their small bout of verbal sparring and returning to polite teasing. About every time Sabo and Law hung around each other for more than five minutes they started bickering driven by vastly different perspectives on life. It normally resolved quickly with interference from Koala or Luffy and never escalated to anything more than spats.

The rest of their evening was spent pleasantly, enjoying their dinner and subsequent dessert, exchanging presents for Christmas and taking a tour throughout the house with an enthusiastic showing of the guest bedroom that the two of them could stay in whenever they wanted and the urinal in the master bathroom. They said goodnight late in the evening and the other couple promised to come by soon again for wedding activities. 

—

Two days later, they were finally having the dreaded dinner with Doflamingo. They were going to some fancy place forty-five minutes away from both their house and Law’s family house, a figurative and literal meet on middle ground. When they pulled up to the place, Luffy had to tighten his tie, having loosened it once they had gotten into the van and shrugged on both his suit jacket and nice winter coat. 

Law looked as beautiful and elegant as ever, in a fine wool turtleneck, a dark brown cashmere midi skirt and a tan overcoat, and brown ankle boots that had a chunky heel to make sure he didn’t slip in the snow, golden drop earrings replacing his normal ones which Luffy was obsessed with hearing the sound of the chime together whenever Law’s head turned. Without his sling, he almost looked like he had never been injured, the healing scars and compression sleeve hidden by long sleeves, the gaunt look that had occupied for weeks replaced with his usual complexion and vigor, his goatee now back in stylized order by a trip to a professional barber. 

By the hostess’ stand where their coats were taken, Law straightened Luffy’s tie then brushed a hand through his raven hair to try and tame it, movements jerky with a tension to his shoulders, “Why are you nervous?” Luffy asked teasingly, then noticed how worried Law’s face was, “Do you think he’ll like, try to attack me over dinner?”

“No!” Law exclaimed quickly, “He shouldn’t!” 

“Shouldn’t?” Luffy asked in growing concern, wondering if he should have exchanged his suit vest for a bulletproof one. 

“He won’t!” Law corrected, hurriedly, fussing with his lip. His demeanor hardly inspired hope but Luffy knew how hard it was to shake the worried feeling of having your partner and life choices scrutinized by people you cared about. 

They were escorted to a corner booth near the back of the restaurant with rich leather seats surrounding a round dark wood table. Doflamingo was there already waiting but he wasn’t alone and Luffy felt Law relax beside him. They both stood up when they entered view, long feathered coats swishing, almost identical grins, “There they are!”

Rosinante beckoned, nails painted red flashing in the light, “Come sit down!” Law was sat in the middle of Cora and Luffy with Doffy on the other edge, facing across from Luffy. Once they were situated, Cora leaned over to Luffy, “You’ll like this meal: caviar and fried chicken.” 

Luffy glanced around the restaurant, trying to see if it was a prix fixe menu or the brothers had decided to order the table, “I’ve never had caviar but fried chicken’s always good.”

Law relaxed further due to their public setting meaning that Doflamingo’s actions were restrained by societal rule and soon their meal was brought out by two waiters. It was a family style meal, with two chickens that were fried whole and carved at the table for them to enjoy, there were two types of caviar as well that came in small flat cans with tiny spoons for scooping. There were also chive crepes, julienned cucumbers and scallions, crème fraiche with crispy shallots and a white barbeque sauce for them to make wraps with to their preference, served with house made potato chips. 

All in all, it was one of the better rich people meals he ever had. The chicken was crispy without being greasy, same went with the potato chips and the crepes tasted good. He wasn’t the biggest fan of the caviar, because it was really salty but he liked the mouthfeel of the little fish eggs. Most times high-end food was made too complicated and so convoluted that you couldn’t really appreciate the flavors, being a better picture than an actual meal. Luffy had a suspicion that it was Cora who had arranged for this meal because instead of his older brother, he understood Luffy’s upbringing and always strived to make him feel comfortable.

They were halfway through eating their dinner when Doflamingo smiled at Luffy remarking, “So your grandfather is a marine? Vice admiral, that’s impressive.” 

Luffy gulped down a bite, remembering to chew and swallow before he responded, “Uh, yeah.”

From his place beside Luffy, Law straightened up, “Did you do a background check on him? What a dick move.” 

“Language, Law. Besides that’s common knowledge. It isn’t like his surname is common. What about the rest of your family?” Doffy continued undaunted, “There was a disturbing lack of information.”

“I can’t believe you.” Rosinante hissed, also angered at his brother’s prying into their future son-in-law’s life. He was probably curious about Luffy as well, however he at least had the decency to ask outright instead of playing games. 

“Will you stop?” Law demanded, gritting his teeth in a snarl, rising up to his fiancé’s defense.

“Well?” Doflamingo prompted, grinning, knowing that he had Luffy backed into a figurative corner by asking open-ended questions that pried out information. The thought made Luffy's ears flush, he was an honest person, he would have told them anything to assure them that he loved their son and would do everything in his power to make him happy. Except Doflamingo hadn't even given him a chance, deciding that he was going to use underhanded tricks as if Luffy was some sort of puppet he could control which Luffy absolutely wasn't going to let it stand. Everyone else in Doflamingo's life may bow to him but Luffy wasn't going to be one of those people- that was true now nor was it going to change once his name became Monkey-Trafalgar. He may not be a master manipulator like Doffy but he was more than capable to match him blow for blow. 

“You don’t have to answer him.” Cora directed to Luffy, apologies clearly written on his face. 

“He doesn’t need to.” Law asserted, scowling, “I’m marrying Luffy and that’s it, his family ties have nothing to do with it.”

“You’re marrying into his family,” Doffy corrected, “He’s marrying into ours. He can ask whatever he wants about our family.” 

Luffy pounced on the opportunity, beginning astutely, “So I can ask you about how you’ve cornered the market on the manufacturing of a specific drug and I’m wondering if you have a plan in place for when you finally get caught or another organization, maybe Kaido, decides you’re obsolete because from what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, either of those options seem like they might happen anytime now.” He kept his eyes trained on where Doflamingo’s eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, voice level even as Law and Cora looked like they desperately wanted to interrupt but wouldn’t dare. “I’m also interested to know whether or not you’re planning on throwing my fiancé under the bus when you do, actually anyone in your family. Maybe you could educate me about those kinds of things since I think you and I have very different ideas of what ‘family loyalty’ means.” He brushed a hand through his bangs agitated, “As for me, my father works with my adoptive older brother, don’t ask me what. I never met my birth mother and I was raised by my grandfather, my two older brothers and my two foster mothers. I want to marry Law because he’s a good man and I know he loves me no matter what happens and I’d be stupid to give that up.” His tone became as light as it was shrewd, “Now you ask me a question, go on ask me ‘what I think about our wedding’ since you were so curious.”

One of Doflamingo’s brows twitched but as prompted, questioned, “What are your thoughts about your wedding?”

He leaned over the tabletop to threaten, “If anyone tries to fuck with our wedding day, I will throw them off the ship without a life vest and without a party favor. I don’t care who they are and I don’t care if we’ve left port or not, it’s going to be the best day of my life and no one is going to ruin it.” He leaned back into the booth, smiling flippantly, “Anything else you want to know?”

There was a terribly long silence, where it seemed like Law and Cora didn’t breathe while Luffy and Doflamingo stared each other down. There was a moment when Luffy thought that maybe he had been a little too forward before Doflamingo smiled, replying, “Not at all.”

They finished their meal with a sense of returned normalcy and quickly the dishes were cleared so dessert could be brought out. It was a riesling gelée with strawberry conserve or at least that’s what Luffy was told, he had never had any dessert with those labels before and was curious, taking a bite of what was served in a small bowl. It had the texture of softened jello and an odd taste, topped with strawberries. 

“What’s riesling gelée?” Luffy whisper asked to Law who whispered back, “Riesling is a type of white wine, and a gelée is a type of gelatin dessert.” 

“So it’s fancy jello?”

“Basically.”

“It tastes funny.”

“That’s the alcohol. Don’t finish yours.”

“Kay.” He poked at his dessert, trying to mash it up enough to look like he had eaten some more, scraping off the strawberry conserve which was basically a strawberry jelly. 

They were getting ready to go when Doffy said, “Let me throw you an engagement party.”

Law shook his head, “You’re already paying for our wedding. We’re getting married in less than a week and a half, there’s no need to have an engagement party.”

“No, I insist,” Doffy persuaded, “We can have it at the house, it’ll just be a little soiree for our business associates.”

Law looked at Rosinante for help but the other man looked thoughtful, “It might not be the worst thing in the world, there are people who won’t be invited to your wedding and it would be smart to have an event that they could be a part of so they don’t get angry. This is the first wedding we’ve had.” 

“You’ve seen the weddings that Big Mom throws, you want us to seem like this union is one that we’re ashamed of. A small gathering.” Doffy promised.

Luffy and Law exchanged a look, both knowing instinctively that it wasn’t going to be a small gathering but they weren’t going to be able to get out of the situation, before Law conceded, “Fine.”

Law took Luffy’s hand as they walked to the car, “That main course alone cost eight hundred dollars.”

Luffy gasped slightly, hopping over an icy puddle, “Are you kidding?!”

Law shook his head, keeping a watchful eye out for vehicles as they maneuvered to theirs, “I checked the menu prices.”

Luffy rolled his eyes, muttering, “Rich people.” The dinner was good but it wasn’t better than what Sanji could make for way less. 

Law scoffed too, opening the driver’s side door for Luffy, “Let’s get some real dessert.” 

“Nice!” He climbed into the driver’s seat, turning the keys in the ignition to get the heat blowing, “What are we gonna get? Let’s do ice cream!”

“It’s too cold for ice cream.” Law argued which is what he always said whenever it wasn’t summer. 

“It’s never too cold for ice cream, Traffy.” Luffy rebutted, putting the van into gear. He would ice cream anytime, anywhere, it was one of his favorite types of dessert ever. He had once gotten ice cream with Ace in the middle of a snow storm because that was how much he loved ice cream.

Law leaned his head back onto the headrest, “Alright, but I don’t want to spend too much time out, it’s already late.” The whole dinner had lasted over two hours, filled with unnecessary fanfare and thinly veiled insults about Luffy’s job, appearance, family, life choices, etc. 

Luffy drove them to the ice cream parlor that was on the way home, grabbing his wallet so he could run inside and get ice cream for the both of them in order to let Law stay in the warmth of the idling van. “What do you want?” 

Law didn’t glance up from his phone, where he was rapidly exchanging texts with Rosinante as a way to debrief and try to make sure their engagement party wasn’t a huge performance, “You know me well enough, pick for me.” 

“Yep.” Shutting the door behind him, Luffy jogged to the store. Luffy knew what flavors Law usually got but it was later in the evening and he didn’t like to have certain stuff before he slept which meant his normal cappuccino flavor was out. After weighing pros and cons of certain flavors, he made a decision, paid and went back to the van pushing the door open with his hip since his hands were full. 

Law leaned across the middle console, opening the driver’s door from the inside for Luffy. He handed over the small paper cup before he clambered inside, “I got you a cup of pistachio almond.” 

Law dug out napkins from the glovebox, handing some over to Luffy, “Thanks.”

Law had a rule about Luffy eating when he drove, something about distracted driving, so he started to eat while they remained parked. He had gotten himself a double scoop waffle cone, one of chocolate with brownies and the other chocolate chip cookie dough. He attacked it with vigor, the exhausting ordeal of dealing with his soon-to-be-patriarch-in-law making him hungry. 

“I’m sorry about tonight.” Law said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence that they had been sitting in, listening to the radio as they ate. 

Luffy slurped up some of the chocolate because it was melting in the heated van, “What?” 

“The interrogation Doffy put you through.” Law clarified, “It was invasive of him and wrong to pressure you like that.”

Luffy waved him off since he was more interested in stopping ice cream dripping down the side of his cone, “I’ve dealt with worse.” 

“You shouldn’t have to.” Law insisted, “You deserve better than for him to act like that.”

Luffy laughed softly, pleased that his fiancé always tried to make the world see Luffy in the same way he did, yet not seeing it as a big deal. He didn’t care if Doffy liked him or not, there was nothing he could do to stop Luffy from marrying Law and honestly, sometimes he wished the psycho would try so he would finally get to punch the smug bastard in the face, “It’s okay.” 

Law kept pressing the issue, “My family should treat you with as much respect as they treat me.” 

Luffy sucked on his cone for a second, before adding tentatively, “Maybe not as much. I don’t have a fancy college education. Or like, save lives daily.” 

“Valid counter points, but I stand by my previous argument. I expect them to at least treat you with some form of kindness, considering you are going to be in their lives now even more.” He took a bite of his ice cream then added coyly, “Though I was a little turned on with how you dealt with him.”

Luffy had moved on to eating the cone with the ice cream, grinned, “You liked that?”

Law swirled ice cream on his tongue in a seductive manner, “Oh, yes. You were very serious and forceful. It was very hot how you threatened the head of a drug and weapon’s ring for my sake even though he had a gun hidden by his coat and probably could’ve killed you.”

“He wishes he could kill me.” Was declared, punctuated by a crunch of a waffle cone. 

Law’s eyes were scorching with heated desire as he commanded, “Finish your cone and get over here.”

“Look who’s forceful now.” Luffy teased which made Law’s deep laugh fill up the van. Their lips met, sweet and sticky, and though it had begun to snow outside, neither of them could feel the chill due to the force of their burning fire, coursing through their veins and igniting them with passion with every throb of their hearts. 

—

First thing next morning, Law and Luffy were gearing up to go get their marriage license. After feeding the pets their breakfast, Luffy sat on the countertop with his choice of morning meal, munching away as he scrolled absently though his social media. Law came down the stairs, fully dressed and ready to leave to eat his breakfast and regarded Luffy with a smidge of judgment, “Are you eating a cupcake for breakfast?”

Luffy nodded around a mouthful of one of the last remaining cupcakes from their tasting that they had stashed in the freezer and thawed out, “Yeah.”

His fiancé shook his head, muttering, “Sometimes I envy your stomach; other times, not so much. Make sure you brush your teeth after.”

Luffy nodded in agreement, shoving the last bite in his mouth, washing his hands in the kitchen sink before he headed upstairs to finish getting ready for the day while Law drank his coffee and ate a granola bar. He brushed his teeth and dressed warmly since the weather had gotten colder as the end of December approached. 

They went to the country clerk’s office, both presenting their driver’s license and social security cards as well as paying the cash fee. They exited the building, holding hands, the license securely tucked in Law’s leather portfolio. They got into the van, closing the doors behind them solidly to start the vehicle’s heater. 

Law rubbed his hands together to warm them, “Alright, the waiting period is seventy-two hours but after that it’ll be valid for ninety days.”

Luffy bounced in the seat, “We aren’t gonna wait that long.”

“No,” Law confirmed, leaning over the console to kiss Luffy, “We are not. Let the final countdown begin, my darling.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Bangs pots and pans together* Luffy has been proven to be incredibly emotionally intuitive in canon, he will spot your insecurities/fears/dreams from a mile away and bluntly tell you the truth. 
> 
> Thought it would be interesting to play between Sabo and Law then Luffy and Doflamingo in this chapter, both pairs have a back and forth but the dynamics between them are night and day, especially when in the future both pairs get into an actual fight to kill.


	15. The Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law and Luffy were scheduled to go to Kid’s Annual Christmas Eve Rager tonight but first Luffy had a birthday to celebrate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Loosely described oral sex

In Luffy’s family, all Christmas activity halted on Christmas Eve because it was Chopper’s birthday. He had fallen out of the routine when he had been with Law alone which is why he was scheduled to go to Kid’s Annual Christmas Eve Rager tonight due to it being Law's tradition on this day each holiday season but this morning he was going to be involved in the birthday celebrations. It was especially special this year because Chopper was turning eighteen.

They started with breakfast at a crepe place then headed to a large entertainment center that had a two story laser tag arena, bowling, indoor go-karts and a huge arcade. It was just the boys, minus Sanji- who was busy working, he was taking tomorrow and New Year’s Eve off but other than that he was working non-stop, claiming that people always needed to be fed- the girls weren’t interested in going but they would be there tonight at dinner- which Luffy was missing. 

Brook was too old to go running around in half-darkness/half-fog and Zoro would have gotten hopelessly lost so the two of them hung out in the seating area nearby while the rest of them played laser tag. Chopper and Franky were on a team together so Luffy was teamed up with Usopp since they had found out a long time ago that pairing Franky and Usopp together in any competition was a surefire way for everyone else to lose. There were other people there too so it wasn’t just them, about thirteen people on each team. 

It was fun, all covered in artificial fog and black lights, running in different colored vests and guns, going up and down ramps to get around the levels, ducking behind barriers while shooting each other. They played three rounds before they got tired, hanging up their guns and vests to go look at the scoreboard. Usopp got the highest score, of course, while Luffy was just happy he hadn’t gotten last. 

After that they went to the indoor go-kart raceway, all six of them driving their own mini cars around a big circuit complete with several straight and turns including a bridge to go over and under. Each race was made up of doing three laps and they did four separate races. On one eventful lap Zoro ended up going in the wrong direction, leaving the attendants to have to stop the round to make sure that he didn’t crash into anybody. 

Next they bowled two games, ordering their lunch of pizza and wings to eat as they played. Luffy had the bumpers put up on the lane when it was his turn, unashamed of needing them to make sure he didn’t end up in the gutter every time it was his turn and put the bumpers up for Zoro as well without permission to try and save the ball from getting thrown across the lanes. 

Lastly, they spent an hour and a half in the arcade area. They had a massive skee-ball playoff to see who could get the most points before going their separate ways within the area. Franky and Usopp joined forces to play shooter games with Zoro watching while Luffy and Chopper teamed up to play Dance Dance Revolution as Brook cheered them on. Brook made a new high score on Piano Keys and Zoro somehow managed to score a large plushie from a crane machine that he promptly gave to Chopper. They took all of their earned tickets to the prize counter to pick out whatever they wanted. Luffy got a bunch of candy and a baseball sized bouncy ball that could bounce super high which he was planning on annoying Law with by bouncing it in the grand room. It would only be a matter of time before his fiancé got fed up and would teasingly fight Luffy for possession of the ball which is exactly what Luffy wanted. 

Everyone else was going to give Chopper his gifts at dinner but since Luffy wasn’t going to be there so he gave Chopper the bagged gift that he had brought from him and Law. “Here ya go! Happy Birthday!”

“Wow!” Chopper exclaimed, pulling out a zippered electronics organizer that was the size of a standard folder and a pink thermos for both hot and cold beverages that Luffy had stuffed with snacks he knew Chopper liked and a gift card to a nearby bookstore, “This is so cool! Thank you!”

Luffy laughed, wrapping him in a hug, “You’re welcome. Torao picked out the electronics organizer, he said that he was always forgetting chargers when he went from his house to the library or class so he thought you might like it.”

“Hot stuff couldn’t join us today?” Zoro questioned playful, nudging Luffy with his hip. 

Luffy bumped him back, defending his fiancé, “He’s busy. But he’ll be there tomorrow.”

“He better.” Usopp groused, “We’re gonna have too much food as is.”

Luffy giggled, well aware of the problem and having served as the solution many times, “Sanji stress baking again?”

“Yes, I wonder what upcoming event may be causing that?” Brook teased with a laugh 

“It’s Super exciting!” Franky agreed, striking a pose. 

It was about two in the afternoon when they left, the others piling into their large SUV to head home while Luffy hopped into the lamborghini to take back to his home. 

Law had taken the van today to go have lunch with his coworkers since they had the day off so Luffy had the lamborghini. He had gotten more comfortable driving it since Law’s injury halted him from taking it out though he was slightly nervous driving out in the winter time because the cold weather could sometimes make the road icy and the last thing he wanted was to lose control in a car worth more than his whole childhood home. 

As he drove, he reflected on the day’s events, already thinking about what pictures he was going to show Law when they met up again. It had been a while since he had carefree fun like that, this last half of the year had been busy with him moving, taking care of Law and planning their wedding so it was really nice to be able to hang out with his family somewhere outside of the family house.

He was heading back home so he could change his outfit from a neutral light blue jumper to a more festive holiday sweater as well as pick up something that Kid had requested he bring before heading over. 

He took a rideshare to get him to the house that Kid, Killer, Heat and Wire lived at since Law was going to meet him there with the van later in the evening and had said explicitly that he didn’t want his car to be parked outside of Kid’s house due to leaving a car that expensive unattended was just asking for trouble. 

When he arrived, he grabbed the canvas sack he had brought carefully from the seat beside him, trying not to break what was inside. He knocked on the iron wrought gate that guarded the front door, the metal making a harsh clanging sound that he hoped someone inside could hear. It didn’t take long for the front door to open by Heat who also unlocked and opened the gate. “Hello, Luffy.” Heat greeted quietly, moving aside so he could come in. 

“Hey, Merry Christmas Eve!” He walked through the foyer into the living room, looking around at the holiday decorations that included a black Christmas tree and multi-colored LED lights strung around the ceiling. 

From the kitchen, Kid shouted, “Get in here, did you bring what I wanted?!”

“Yeah, but why do you need my food processor?” Luffy asked back, walking over to survey the mess in the kitchen cautiously. 

“Because I’m making some good shit.” Kid said as if that was a reasonable explanation. 

Luffy held the machine to his chest, suddenly protective, “Should I be worried?”

Kid looked offended, “No!”

“Yes.” Heat answered at the same time. 

“Shut up!” Kid snapped then turned back to the kitchen counter giddily, “This is gonna be great.” 

Luffy raised an eyebrow, setting his food processor down on the counter and hunting for an outlet to plug it in, “What’re you doing?” 

Kid whirled to face him with a wide grin that stretched the edges of his dark purple lipstick coated lips, “Candy cane vodka.”

Luffy’s eyes widened, “Really?” 

Kid nodded eagerly, waving him closer, “Help me out.” 

Luffy had never heard of candy cane vodka before nor made it, not like he had ever gone out of his way to try vodka though. There were like eight boxes of candy canes with another box that had already been opened and the candy canes laid on the counter in a gallon size baggie. They looked like they had been smashed with- “Hammer wasn’t working for you?” Luffy asked, holding up the tool that was just laying on the kitchen counter. 

“It’s damn noisy.” Heat piped up from his seat on the sectional couch.

“Yeah,” Kid admitted grumpily, “And doing it like that takes forever.” 

“Well, me and my food processor are here to help so tell us what to do.” They both started to unwrap candy canes from their plastic wrappings and Luffy popped a candy cane into his mouth, sucking down on the peppermint taste as he worked. Law didn’t like candy canes because they made his hands sticky but he might like candy cane vodka. Once they had unwrapped twelve candy canes they smashed them into three pieces each using the hammer and a gallon sized baggie to contain the mess. They threw those pieces into his food processor and ground it up until it became a fine powder. They poured the powder into a clean mason jar so they could pour vodka on top, screwing on the lid and shaking it up for it all to mix. All they had to do now was to shake it occasionally for thirty minutes until the candy dissolved completely and the vodka turned red. 

While they were waiting for it to dissolve, Luffy braided Heat’s long light blue hair as they sat on the couch, “Your hair is so awesome.”

“Thank you.” Heat said appreciatively.

Luffy sighed while plaiting the hair, “I wish I could dye my hair but I’m pretty sure Sabo won’t let me.” 

Kid scoffed, “Pretty sure you’re a grown ass man who’s getting married in a week so I don’t think you need your big brother’s approval for anything anymore. I think red would look nice on you, not bright red like mine but dark red highlights would be good.”

“That’d be real cool.” Luffy agreed dreamily, he had never touched his hair before with anything more than a brush and a blow dryer so having it dyed would be a totally new experience yet, “I don’t wanna bleach it or anything.” He had heard horror stories of the damage constant dye jobs did to people’s hair and didn’t want to make sacrifices for his appearance. 

“Three words,” Kid leaned over the back of the couch to say dramatically, “Kool aid dye.”

“Is that three words or just two?” Heat inquired, “Kool-aid, isn’t it spelled with a hyphen? Therefore one word.”

“Whatever, man, kool-aid dye.” He pointed at Luffy with his metal hand, “That’s the solution to your problem, yeah it may seem a bit juvenile but if you’re looking for a noninvasive way to test out different colors, kool-aid dye is a pretty good place to start.”

“It’d be pretty sick.” Heat added with his eyes closed as he enjoyed the sensation of Luffy’s fingers in his hair. 

“Only lasts one to three months.” Kid persuaded, “Think about it.”

Luffy finished braiding Heat’s hair and by then it was time for the next steps in the creation of their candy cane vodka. The poured the contents of the jar through a strainer and it made three cups worth of a brilliant bright red color. “You really think I could dye my hair?”

Kid nodded, “I’d do it today if I had the kool-aid.”

Luffy grinned at him, very focused on the task at hand, concentrating and pretty chilled out all things considering, “You’re a good friend.”

Kid whistled lowly, “Haven’t heard that a lot before.”

“You are. I think a lot of people misjudge you.” Luffy speculated, thinking about how Kid had a tendency to act like an ass in public and how once you got to know him he was way friendlier just in a snarkish way. 

“I have a lousy first impression.” Kid gestured to his whole body in explanation.

“You made a good impression on me. We met during a bad place in my life but I remember I thought you were weird but really cool. I still think you’re weird.” He added with his tongue sticking out. 

“You-!” Kid shoved Luffy however it was with half the force he could, so Luffy knew he was playing around. Kid started pulsing another round of candy canes as Wire came home from work with a whole case of assorted alcohol for tonight. He leaned on the counter, commenting, “That’s a lot of effort for three cups worth.”

Kid stopped mid-pulse, giving a pointed look, “Listen, bitch, I am committed to my ragers.” 

Luffy snickered, unwrapping another candy cane to crush up as he sucked on another. 

Kid rubbed his hands together, dry flesh palm sounding weird against the metal one’s surface, “Now to make big batch jello shots.” He pulled out two large saucepans so he could make twice the servings at once. Over medium-high heat, he poured four cups of water into each pan to let it boil. 

While they were waiting for the water to boil and another round of vodka to settle, Killer arrived at the house, carrying sacks of groceries, “You better be grateful, Captain, I’ll ruin my rep buying all this.” 

Kid rolled his eyes, “You won’t ruin your rep buying party food.” 

Killer slammed a sack on the counter, “But I will by buying candy canes.” 

Luffy thought Kid might have sprained something by how hard he rolled his eyes again, “Get over yourself. You make pasta for a living, you have no damn rep.”

“Maybe not, but at least I’ve got common sense.” Kid tugged at Killer’s long hair with both hands in retaliation which made him squawk, before he whirled around with a kick. They squabbled a bit, almost ridiculously in love until Killer gave up the argument, always the sensible one. He didn’t go far though, sitting himself at the kitchen table since he didn’t like leaving the kitchen unsupervised. Luffy guessed it was some type of cook thing. 

Once the water was bubbling, Kid poured in jello packets and whisked until it dissolved completely. He removed both pots from the heat, setting them on the crevettes to cool. 

Luffy propped his elbow on the counter, placing his chin on his open palm, “I don’t understand why people always want to ruin jello with alcohol.” 

Kid snorted, while Killer explained without looking up, “It’s a grown up thing.” 

Kid added in one cup of peppermint vodka and one cup cold water into the pots, stirring to combine the mixtures. Next he grabbed two full sized bundt pans from the cabinets, “Just gotta get some non-stick spray.”

Killer looked up from the book he was reading, “Are you making jello shots in a bundt pan?” 

“Shut up.” Kid growled, as Luffy sprayed the two pans down. They carefully poured the mixture in, putting them in the fridge to set so it would be ready for the party.

“Make me some without vodka.” Luffy insisted. Kid nodded in compliance, rinsing out one of the saucepans and starting the process over, this time without the vodka. They made Luffy’s non alcoholic type which was basically regular jello and made a whole second batch of the jello shots. 

As it got closer to the party, more of Kid’s friends showed up to help get things in order, each bringing some kind of food to put out on the long dining table. Kid wouldn’t let Luffy touch the party food until more people showed up but Killer made him grilled cheese with pineapple, which was awesome and enough to tide him over.

It didn't take long before the house was full of people, neighbors, friends and coworkers of Kid and his housemates as well as a bunch of other people who had been invited by someone who knew someone. It was the kind of unrestrained party that Law would never allow in their house but Kid thrived off the energy. His ragers were legendary, tons of alcohol and food, often getting cited for noise complaints with the Valentine’s one getting shut down every year by the authorities. No matter how rowdy it got when people drank too much there were never any fights or foul play that occurred due to Kid’s threats of throwing people out and the wicked dual scythes Killer kept in the mudroom for certain purposes. 

The party was in full swing when Law arrived, sauntering through the house with lithe grace and a dark sweater. Luffy had been talking with Wire about the best type of Christmas cookies but brightened considerably at the sight of his fiancé, “Hey, babe.” He greeted from his position on the couch.

Law leaned down to kiss his cheek sweetly, “Good evening, darling. Did you have a nice time?”

“Yeah,” He responded, “How was hanging out with everyone?” 

Law opened his mouth to reply but Kid came over, crowing, “Check it out, check it out!” He was holding one of the jars triumphantly, “Candy cane vodka!” 

“Why?” Law asked tiredly, “Just why?” 

He poured some of it messily into a plastic cup, holding it out excitedly, “Drink some!”

Law shoved the cup away from his face, “Let me eat something first.” 

“Right on!” Kid cheered, disappearing back into the crowd with a whoop. 

“I helped him make it.” Luffy informed with a smile. 

Law’s eyes widened in realization, “So that’s why he needed your food processor.”

“Yep!” He bounced to his feet, taking Law’s arm, “C’mon, let’s get something to eat.” At this point the food table was covered end to end, Luffy stacked a plate up high, grabbing a cup of punch that he had Law taste to make sure it wasn’t spiked. They returned to the couch to sit together, eating and talking to whoever was around, most people asking them about their plans for the upcoming holidays which led to them talking about their quickly approaching wedding. 

Kid’s parties could get really wild but tonight everyone seemed to be more relaxed, since it was cold and they couldn’t move the party out into the front yard. After a bit, Killer mentioned as he passed Luffy, “Jello’s set.”

“Cool.” He got off the couch to hurry to the kitchen to help Kid. It had taken four hours for it to set but now it was ready to go. They dumped the pans out onto serving platters so they could cut the jello into small cubes. Kid had Killer buy red and white mini cupcake liners which they placed the cubes in so people didn’t have to get their fingers on all the jello to grab some. Luffy had a few cubes of the regular jello and Law matched Kid shot for shot with the candy cane vodka ones, commenting that he thought it was the right balance of flavors which Killer agreed with. 

Later, Luffy was on another run to the food table when he ran into Bonney, who greeted him cheerfully, in one of the cutest-ugliest Christmas sweaters he had ever seen, giddily grabbing on to him so they could jump up and down together, squealing about his soon-to-be wedding. 

When they had calmed down, chatting as they grazed on the food table, Bonney whisked Luffy over to the serve yourself bar to get a drink to wash down their food asking, “What’s Law drinking?”

“I don’t know, I think the vodka, he just had a cup and a few of the shots.”

Bonney shook her head at him disapprovingly, “You’re getting married in like a week, you have to learn how to mix your man a drink.” She swept her pink hair into a ponytail to get it out of her face. “Everyone has their own taste in drinks. Some people like Use-ass like to just drink really hard liquor.” Luffy giggled at her nickname for Kid, while she continued, “Other people like cocktails with lots of fruit and sugar, those give you hard hangovers but they taste really good.” She grabbed a new cup, “Now Law likes a White Russian. No frills whatsoever, gives you a big jolt, just vodka, coffee liqueur and cream.” 

“Nice.” She instructed Luffy to pour some special vodka into a tumbler filled with ice, then to add coffee liqueur and one tablespoon of single cream, and how to stir it up with one of those long sticks. He held it up to her when it was finished, proud to have completed the drink all by himself, even though he wasn't able to test it out but confident in her judgment over what drink his fiancé would like.

Grabbing a cup for herself, she scooped ice into it, “I myself like to party with a ‘lights out’.” She poured in peppermint vodka, then added bourbon whiskey, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. “The twist” she informed Luffy, “Is the maple syrup.” She stirred it together then added some low fat milk to top it off, “Gotta watch my figure.” 

They were still laughing together when Law found them, wondering where Luffy had gotten to after promising to return. Luffy gave him the white russian with pride, scarfing down cherries from the bar as Law took a sip, “It’s sweet but it’s good.” He took another sip, swirling the taste on his tongue, “Might need some greasy food to sop up the hangover but it’s good.”

Luffy chose that moment to stick his tongue out of his mouth, revealing the cherry stem he had managed to tie in a knot with his tongue and Law almost dropped the drink Luffy had made in his aroused surprise. 

They blew each other off in one of the bathrooms since they knew that Kid and Killer wouldn’t mind, considering the far worse offenses that had happened all over the house. Luffy put his nimble tongue to good work, delighting in practically burying his face in Law’s crotch, shoved up in the space between his tattooed thighs, hands wrapped around his fiancé’s spotted jeaned calves to help him stay balanced as Law leaned backwards against the sink. When Luffy’s turn came, he was sat on the bathroom countertop so Law wouldn’t have to bend down so far or get on his knees on a floor that he claimed ‘a black light would run away from’, Law always got worked up whenever they did anything in semi-public and risked being caught- having claimed it added a level of forced control on volume and a hint of extra adrenaline, like he was getting the real teenager experience that he never had considering when he was a teenager he was in med school then his residency and far younger than any of his peers- which he showed with passion and flare. 

They emerged from the bathroom as put together as they could be though Apoo flashed them a thumbs up, apparently having caught on and approved of their mischief. Luffy got another candy cane to suck on in an attempt to try and freshen his breath, likewise Law had more candy cane vodka. 

Eventually, the whole party played a massive round of Christmas movie trivia, which they dominated because Law was both a genius and a connoisseur of movie facts and Luffy’s favorite genre of movies was Christmas themed ones and he had started rewatching them this year as soon as November started. It was always funny to see how fired up adults got during games, especially when they were half drunk and the game quickly dissolved into good-natured shouting. 

At the end of the night when the party ended, they stayed to help clean up: an excuse for Law to let out some energy by cleaning up messes and giving Luffy an excuse to pilfer leftovers. As they were finally heading out the door, Killer followed, holding out the bag that Luffy had brought with him to their house several hours ago, “Here you go, I cleaned it for you.” 

“My food processor!” He exclaimed, taking the canvas bag with the kitchen appliance in it, “Thanks!”

Killer leaned up against the doorframe, running his fingers through his long blonde hair, “Thanks for letting Kid use it, the vodka actually wasn’t bad.” 

“No, it wasn’t.” Law agreed which was a rare compliment.

“I was pleasantly surprised.” Heat commented as he passed by.

Kid came over to shove a jar of peppermint vodka into Luffy’s hands, “Here, take some with you.” Luffy struggled to balance the jar with the heavy bag for a moment, “Put in like hot chocolate or something.” 

“That would still be him drinking underage.” Wire informed lightly as he passed them to take out the trash, but Kid forged ahead cheerfully, “Then you drink it, Trafalgar.” 

Law took the jar from Luffy helpfully, “I do enjoy coffee with vodka.”

Killer waved over his shoulder, retreating back deeper into the house, “Night.”

“Good night.” Law responded, also starting to retreat to their van parked on the side of the street.

“Bye!” Luffy said with a wave, “Merry Christmas!”

“See ya losers!” Kid waved before he slammed the metal gate door and the front door too. 

Law shook his head, as they walked to his car, “I don’t think I’ll ever figure out what goes on in that man’s brain, he's very weird.”

Luffy however smiled, “He’s a good man.”

Law opened the driver’s door for Luffy- since he had been drinking heavily throughout the night- looking back at the house, with a fond smile, “That he is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, my older brother shares the same birthday as Chopper so every year we don't celebrate Christmas Eve either but rather him and terrible decision he made to be born the day before Christmas instead of waiting an extra month like he was supposed to when he wouldn't receive all his gifts for a whole year in forty-eight hours.


	16. The Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law sat at the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee, looking around their home all decorated for the season, the two guest rooms that sat empty and thought it might be nice one day to have this morning full of excitement, where he might be already awake to avoid but Luffy would definitely be woken up by the sound of little feet pitter pattering on the hardwood and clambering onto their bed in excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Mentions of Law's tragic past

Law woke up on this particular Christmas morning in good spirits. He was young and in love, getting married to the handsome man sleeping beside him in bed in less than a week, celebrating their first Christmas in their new house, breakfast was already waiting in the fridge, they were going to Luffy’s family house for dinner so he didn’t have to worry about cooking a big meal and he didn’t have to go to work or deal with his family today. All in all, it was shaping up to be a good day. 

He let Luffy continue sleeping as he got ready to go out on an early morning run, dressing in layered athletic clothes that make sure he didn’t get too hot or cold during his exercise. He stretched in the office to warm up then went downstairs to where Bepo was shaking himself awake. Law tied his running shoes with his left hand opening since on cold mornings like this, he had found that his right fingers were particularly stiff and uncoordinated. He got Bepo’s leash and clipped to the eager Samoyed’s neon orange collar so they could head out. Outside of the house, he twisted the lock into place and with his phone he set the house alarm back on then shoved his phone into his pocket for safekeeping. He started to run, urging his life-time running buddy, “Come on Bepo-bear!” With a bark and leap, the dog started to jog by his side, setting out with nose held high in the air and tail whipping around in excitement.

Christmas morning was a wonderful time to go for a run, no one was out since most stores and jobs were closed for the day. They didn’t see a single other person along their route around the neighborhood. He had been venturing out on longer runs, having the time now that he wasn’t going in to work so he took Bepo on their typical jaunt then returned the dog to the house in order for him to could continue on for another eight miles. 

When he finished with his run, he was sweaty and warm despite the freezing temperatures so after he did his cool-down stretches he took a shower to wash the sweat from his limbs. Once that was finished, he dried himself off and dressed back in pajamas so he could revel in the same feeling he used to get as a child.

When he had gone to live with the Donquixote Family, the idyllic Christmases had faded away, Cora had tried but it wasn’t something that they really celebrated at least not traditionally- one eventful time they had done a raid on a rival gang and Law had received his gift while people burned to death in the building behind him- if he thought back hard, he could recall memories of before when it would be the one real day a year both of his parents had off from all work and they would watch over him and his little sister as they opened gifts.

He sat at the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee, looking around their home all decorated for the season, the two guest rooms that sat empty and thought it might be nice one day to have this morning full of excitement, where he might be already awake to avoid but Luffy would definitely be woken up by the sound of little feet pitter pattering on the hardwood and clambering onto their bed in excitement. Not anytime soon, of course, but maybe one year that’s how their holiday would start. 

As is, he stood up with a stretch, glancing over to the clock that read 10:27 in the morning, he decided it was more than time to go wake sleeping fiancé with a kiss. He set up a surprise under the tree, ensuring that everything was in place before making himself another cup of coffee and a cup of hot chocolate for Luffy, taking both upstairs with him to the bedroom. Luffy was buried under blankets and for all his eagerness for the day, he seemed to be content with sleeping right through it. That wouldn’t do at all. 

He placed both mugs on his nightstand so they would be out of the way then climbed onto bed, he wrapped his arms around a Luffy-shaped bundle to hug him close, crooning, “Wake up, darling, it’s Christmas.” 

Luffy stirred, humming, his spine arching into Law’s longer form as he whisper-shouted, “Yay!” He sat up, rubbing his bleary eyes, “Merry Christmas, honey.” Law handed him the steaming mug of hot chocolate which his fiancé took gratefully to sip on. 

Law kissed the sleep out of his pretty face, informing, “Yesterday when I was out, I went and got our special Christmas breakfast.”

That perked Luffy right up and he shot to alertness at the prospect of food, “Our cannoli!”

Law chuckled, rolling out of bed again to grab his mug, heading out of the bedroom, “C’mon.”

A tradition that they had started their first Christmas together, back when Luffy hadn’t wanted to celebrate the holiday which Law had agreed to. He had gone to an italian restaurant the night before and had brought home cannoli for Luffy yet at that time his housemate had already gone to sleep so Law brought them out to eat for breakfast which Luffy was delighted about. They had repeated the tradition last year and Law had gone to a bakery yesterday to make sure that they could keep it alive this year as well.

He had bought six from the bakery and left them in the fridge to stay fresh: four for Luffy and two for himself. He wasn’t a huge eater of desserts, especially at breakfast time since it threw off his internal rhythm yet he made an exception for cannoli because when they were made correctly the filling was not too sweet and the fried pastry dough crisp, he considered them even better after being cooled in the fridge. 

They ate their special breakfast and drank their hot drinks, listening to holiday music playing on the radio. When Law had finished cleaning up the kitchen and their dishes, he took Luffy’s hand to guide him over to the tree. Despite their supposed moratorium, there were presents under the tree for those that they were giving gifts too so it didn’t look bare. Law was hoping that Luffy didn’t examine the base of the tree that closely as he picked up a small wrapped box from underneath. “Now I know we said no presents this year but you told me to buy you this specifically a few weeks ago when we went to the mall, so here.”

Luffy took the lid of the box with confusion, holding up what was inside, “What‘s this? Some kinda remote?”

It was a small oblong remote that had an off/on button, a red button and a toggle switch, Law flicked the button to ‘on’ and urged, “Press the toggle.” 

Luffy did that and from the other side underneath the tree there was a little whistle and soon a tiny model train that moved on tracks that Law had recently set up in a circle around the base came moving into view. Luffy gasped, “A train! You got me a train!”

“It’s the train from the Polar Express.” Law informed, pleased with himself for pulling off such a nice surprise, “Since it’s your favorite.” Luffy had expressed to Law many times that the Polar Express was his favorite movie, claiming it was the most original one in the genre, Law had countered that it followed the formula of any child struggles to believe in santa movie which was always overthrown by the phrase ‘but on a train?’

Luffy gasped again, getting on his knees to look at it closer to confirm, “No way?!”

“Pretty neat, isn’t it?” Law remarked, when we went to the mall and you saw the huge display they had on the first floor you said that trains were cool and that you had always wanted one. I figured we’re both grown men who can do with our money as we choose so we now have a model train to keep under our Christmas tree. I figured next year we can set it up as soon as the tree is done.” 

“It’s so cool!” Luffy exclaimed, hitting the red button causing lights to come on through the windows of the train and on the front of the engine car, “The lights can turn on!” 

Law moved to sit on the couch so Luffy could play with his new toy, which was basically sitting and watching it move while flicking the lights off and on. After a while, Luffy hurried to go run to the garage to retrieve something, declaring, “I have a gift for you too.”

Law watched him go with amusement, “We said-”

Luffy came skipping back, handing out a messily wrapped rectangle, “You already broke it, so it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t break it too.”

Law signed, taking the present, “I guess that rationale works.” He started to open the gift, expecting some sort of small gift that Luffy had deemed worthy of breaking his own no-gift-buying-rule, probably something cutesy or functional but instead it was a long flat velvet case. He opened it, revealing a twenty-two inch silver chain with a simple clasp that was long enough he could slip it over his head without unlatching it yet didn’t hang too low that it would be a bother. 

Luffy smiled at his surprise, “It’s for your wedding ring so you don’t lose it. I mean, obviously you don’t have it now but when you do you can string it on there when you’re working.”

He picked the chain up, feeling it’s delicate weight in his hands. It was gorgeous, an accessory he would pick out for himself, matching his normal style of going for neutral beautiful jewelry. It was absolutely something he would need once he went back to work and couldn’t wear his wedding ring during surgery, having it on the chain would mean he could keep it with him under his scrubs. It was practical and beautiful. It meant something. He considered himself incredibly lucky to have someone that knew so intrinsically his preferences and desires that they could choose outright something he would want, who wished for Law to have something to wear for people to always know that they had chosen each other. Law looked at it then back at his fiancé with a slight purse in his lips and a slight wetness to his eyes. “This is way more expensive than a model train.”

Luffy giggled, moving forward so he could wrap his arms around Law’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to his temple, “I hoped you would like it, Croco helped me pick it out. You say that if you’re already buying jewelry might as well spend good money on it.” 

“That is true.” Law admitted, he always went for quality over quantity and it was proved by the man sitting on the couch beside him.

They watched the Polar Express curled up on the couch together and spent the rest of the midday like that, watching one Christmas movie after another, not doing anything else but enjoying each other’s company. They made scrambled eggs with mix-ins for an easy late lunch and gave a bit to the two pets as their own special meal plus giving them both new toys that they both immediately took to different spots in the house to play with in private.

Before too long it was time to get ready to go over for dinner and Law ran into the typical question, “What are we supposed to wear tonight?”

“Clothes.” Luffy answered helpfully, rummaging through his sock drawer to find the pair he was looking for. 

“But this is a formal dinner, right?” Law asked, glancing over his wardrobe, “Is there a dress code? Should I wear a tie?”

Luffy pulled out the right socks triumphantly, laughing as he told Law, “No.” 

Law sighed, shifting through his sweaters, “Is there a theme?”

Luffy threw the socks in the direction of the bed, missing by a decent margin, so he could go back to rifling through his clothes, this time for pants, “Franky’s probably going to wear a holiday themed speedo.”

“I would be worried about hypothermia.” Law muttered, shifting through the same sweaters again, hoping to find inspiration. 

Luffy blew his bangs out of face with a huffed breath, “Just wear whatever. I’ve told you it doesn’t matter what you wear to the house, you look good in anything.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Law said then had an idea, “What are you going to wear?”

“A sweater.” 

Law looked over at his side of the closet, “Is it a Christmas sweater?”

“It’s my dark blue sweater.” Luffy held out the said sweater for Law to examine. It was a solid dark blue, fitted but not overly so. That meant he was aiming for something comfortable but a little more dressed up than everyday life. Law could work with those criteria. 

“Alright. Then I’ll wear my gray cable knit.” Law decided, pulling the top off it’s hanger. Now that he had one part he could construct the rest of the outfit. He picked out a pair of nicer white jeans and the chosen dark gray cable knit sweater, intended to match it with his brown loafers, his beige overcoat and a pair of black ankle height socks that had tiny little christmas lights on them to show he was capable of being festive. His new necklace was put in a place of honor tucked over the sweater and the silver stood out starkly against the gray background.

Luffy had finished getting dressed too, in his sweater with warm black tights, a pair of mid-calf socks patterned with large blue and white snowflakes, pulled over the bottom of his tights to be shown off and some bright red sneakers. 

They got the pets settled for the evening since they wouldn’t be back until late, kept the christmas lights on the outside of the glowing, locked the house behind them, set the alarm, made sure they had all the presents they were supposed to bring and set off in the van.

The house was lit spectacularly with multicolored lights, able to be seen from down the street, it was a little tacky but it suited the extravagant family that lived inside it. 

They were greeted inside by a chorus of ‘Merry Christmas’ and Luffy announced back to the room at large, “I got a train!” Still shrugging out of his coat.

“A train?” Usopp asked, eyebrows raised high.

“It’s not real.” Law clarified, putting their presents down under the tree so he could take off his overcoat, “It’s a model 1941 Model Pere Marquette 1225, a 2-8-4 type built by Lima Locomotive Works, the same one they used in the Polar Express.”

Nami scoffed, holding a glass of eggnog, “I wouldn’t put it past you to buy him a real one.”

“Nerd.” Zoro ribbed as he walked past to hug Luffy. 

Chopper gasped in delight, “I love the Polar Express!” 

Law hung his coat on a hook, addressing the second year med student, “How was step one of your medical licensing exam?”

Chopper seemed a mix of worried and confident, “It was everything I studied for so I think it went well.”

“That’s good.” Law assured, “It’s all cumulative knowledge and from what I’ve heard you have enough practical experience to help you through.” 

Chopper shot him a sheepish smile, waving his hand flippantly, “You bastard, saying nice things like that doesn’t make me feel any better, bastard!”

Law laughed at the obvious lie, exchanging a look with Luffy who giggled too with a ‘what can you do’ shrug. Pretty soon they were all ushered to the dining room by Sanji who was ready to serve. While they were eating their first course, a cauliflower and leek soup, Robin asked them gently, “How do you two feel? You’re getting married in less than a week.” 

“We need a miracle.” Sanji groaned as he passed by. 

“I’m good.” Luffy answered, turning to Law, “You?”

“I’m alright.” Law responded, “We still have a lot of work to do, but I think it’ll get done.”

“I’m sure it’ll be a wonderful party.” Brook gushed, taking a noisy sip of his tea. 

Luffy grinned wildly, “It’s us. It’s going to be the best damn party of the year.”

“We are certainly going to end the year right.” Law agreed, “And with that as our wedding date, we’ll end every other year right as well.”

The main course which was served family style had two central dishes, a pumpkin lasagna with ricotta and swiss chard and maiale al latte or milk-braised pork. There were tons of side dishes, including a whole roasted ham and Law enjoyed the meal, making polite conversation amongst a bunch of shouting, going so far to eat two servings of the spiced mashed butternut squash with pecans and honey butter because it was that good. Luffy made sure to always intercept the breadbasket before it got to Law, passing it along quickly without taking any for himself, considerate even on a holiday. Usopp’s sharp eyes caught what he was doing and bonded with Law over his own childhood trauma revolving around mushrooms, Law kept the conversation focused away from being asked why he didn’t like bread, not wanting to reveal his whole tragic backstory over some damned croissants. 

The follow up salad course was goat cheese and pomegranate with an abundance of winter fruits and vegetables and white wine vinegar mixed with honey dressing which Law would have deemed worthy for a full meal by itself. There was a mint sorbet served as a palate cleanser, it was incredibly light, melting on his tongue in seconds served in beautiful crystal goblets that he questioned Robin about to try and learn where he might be able to find some of his own. 

For dessert there was a bergamot mascarpone hazelnut tart with red wine & pomegranate poached pears, it was a sophisticated treat, coordinated to finish their meal on a final semi-sweet note. The dessert was served with coffee, tea or hot chocolate, according to each member’s preference. Law took a cup of finely brewed white tea blend, deeming it too late for him to drink a whole other cup of coffee so he could attempt to go to sleep. 

Law helped to clear the dishes with the others, despite Robin offering for him to stay sitting and enjoy the rest of his tea. The weather was too cold for his right arm to be of any use in the task of washing the fine dishware so he wiped down the dining table with a wet rag and cleaning spray with Luffy helping him by moving leftover food and drinks out of the way of his path.

When the kitchen and dining room had been cleaned up, the leftovers stashed in the fridge, Nami said decisively, “Alright, let’s move this to the living room.”

“Presents!” Luffy cheered, practically dragging Law by the good arm to go sit down. Luffy’s favorite seat was a large orange and white armchair recliner in a place of honor by the fireplace. Law sat down on the chair, folding one leg on top of the other so Luffy could squeeze in beside him. 

While everyone else was getting settled, Sanji brought out more desserts for snacking. Law had a sinking suspicion by now that Sanji would never let any occasion go by with just one dessert and it was confirmed when he saw that there were ten different confections stacked up on a three level tray. Luffy would eat whatever Law didn’t finish which left him free to sample as he pleased. There were tig jam and goat cheese thumbprint cookies as well as salted caramels which he ate all of. Lightly frosted gingerbread cookies, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and swirled peppermint bark that he gave to his fiancé to finish off, having been satisfied after a few bites. Chocolate covered peanut butter rice krispies truffles and sugared cranberries which he passed on. He sampled one of each of the spiced eggnog macarons and chocolate dipped vanilla bean cashew crescent cookies, dunking the latter in his tea. He finally filled a bowl full of roast chestnuts and pretzels coated with butter, rosemary and honey to eat as they exchanged gifts.

They went in order of youngest to oldest again, with Chopper being first to receive his gift which came from Nami. Luffy went next, with Brook as the one to give him his present which was a group-on for a drum lesson date so that he and Law would be able to go learn how to play drums together from one of Brook’s musician friends. Law made a mental note to remember and take painkillers before they went to hopefully save himself from a noise induced headache. 

Usopp was next and then it was time for Nami to get her gift which was from Law. He had taken Luffy’s advice to heart and gotten her an expensive clutch bag that’s clasp was covered with crystals, putting inside a gift card to a local spa. Law was seventh overall to receive a gift, being older than his fiancé and five others in the family. It was Usopp who had gotten him in the drawing and gave over a finger sized bit of blown glass on a string that matched the intricate painting that he had done on their bedroom wall. Law decided to hang it on the rearview mirror in the van as soon as they got back to the car. 

Luffy finally gave Franky his gift that Law helped him pick out, a bunch of refills for supplies that handyman usually ran out of and a gift card to a hardware store taped to a six pack of cola. The gift exchange wrapped up soon afterwards and Law and Luffy prepared themselves for the drive home. Zoro stopped them on the way out so he and Luffy could swap gifts: Luffy getting a new rock polisher and Zoro a set of small trackers that you could attach onto items and find them with a key fob attached to a key chain, that one of which was jokingly attached to a bottle of sake that was also a part of the gift. 

Luffy drove them home, nibbling at desserts he had stuffed into his pocket wrapped in napkins and Law stared out the window, looking at all the Christmas lights they passed, feeling content with the holiday they had enjoyed. Yes, he wouldn’t mind a few more Christmases like that one. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. The Polar Express is one of the best Christmas movies ever, no, I will not be taking any criticism, say what you want about the weird animation style but the movie as a whole is great.


	17. The Rehearsal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You could get twenty and thirty-something year olds to do about anything if you gave them free food, even more so if there was free beer as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: None

With Christmas finally behind them, they had reached the final stretch before their wedding which means that the last six days are full of errands, appointments and celebrations. 

They were having their casual rehearsal dinner that night, a trip first to the ship to work out logistics, followed by a return home for dinner, enlisting the help of their wedding party and friends to get things set up for the wedding. They had forgone some of the non-necessitates like having programs for the ceremony, table cards or printed menus for the reception but they still had to get the party favors ready which also served as the place cards and the confetti cups for the celebratory toss done and a half dozen other small details that Law was stressing over. 

First, they had to go pick up their suits from Hawkins, taking turns trying the suits on in the privacy of a changing room so the other wouldn’t see their outfit. After that they went to go pick up their confetti which was a biodegradable mix of cream, white, and blue freeze-dried assorted flower petals so that they would retain their rich color and wouldn’t wilt along with silver mica and lavender buds in a large box that they needed to divide up into individual containers for throwing. Then they had to go to a clothing store so they could buy warm winter clothes for their upcoming honeymoon, Law had a good deal of clothes already but Luffy needed to get a snowsuit, having never been to a real winter climate for an extended amount of time.

They got lunch at a ramen place, slurping on hot noodles and broth before they were back out in the cold to continue their errands. They picked up their paper goods next: the large order of small paper cups for confetti, all of their thank you cards with paired envelopes, the labeled place cards, care instructions cards with holders and the sturdy cardstock advice hearts so their guests could leave them messages. The last errand they had was to grab the specialized gifts for their wedding party from a boutique. 

At four in the afternoon, they met with their wedding party and other key players at the docks so that they could go over the ceremony’s events plus the reception’s design details. The event coordinator of the ship, Brocca- a middle aged woman who had been very eager to work with them considering that she had done events with Whitebeard before therefore being overjoyed to hear that Luffy was affiliated with the family- greeted them all near the main entrance down from the parking lot. She had been proven to be extremely competent, having done many weddings and other events with this ship and had faced Law’s relentless questioning of hypothetical scenarios of things that could go wrong until finally he was satisfied that the day would be a success no matter what happened. 

Luffy and Law had already toured the ship several times before, to hash out details but this was the first time they brought their full entourage with them which included their wedding party, Brook and his fellow musicians, Sanji and his staff, and Apoo serving as the DJ, Chopper and Usopp as ushers with Killer tagging along to be a part of the fun. There were a few people not in attendance, like Sabo and Koala who trying to wrap up a case before the wedding day, Rosinante, Gladius and Baby who Law had told not to make three hour round trip for a logistical set up especially since all of their partners were present and could fill them in on whatever they missed. They weren’t even running a full mock ceremony or sound checks, just looking around and figuring out where they needed to place everything for the day of. 

Kid looked up at the ship as they approached, whistling, “This shit is huge.”

“And this is the downsized one.” Law remarked, actually glad that the larger vessel was already booked, it would have been far too big for the experience to be enjoyable, especially since they weren’t sleeping on it either, just using it until two in the morning so having a lot of guest rooms wasn’t needed which the bigger one provided.

Brocca led them to the top deck, a large open area with heated wood floors so snow or ice wouldn’t stick and make things hazardous, there was a raised portion near the bow of the ship where they would stand, “Like we spoke about the chairs are going to be arranged in a half circle around the middle altar which we will have measured out to your specifications. Our wedding party is going to be standing three on each side right before the platform, the canopy will be up, the aisle carpet will be down and the flowers will be on either side to make sure no one steps on it before you do so it will be nice and clean. We’ll have the musicians positioned to the right of the altar with chairs and stands provided. The heaters will be out and positioned along the outer circle to not block any of the camera shots and keep everyone warm. When the ceremony is over we’ll have the chairs removed and stored so that the deck will be open in time for your late night activities and the flowers brought inside.”

She led them through the top deck to the main foyer which was where their guests were going to gather before dinner began which had the reception hall positioned to the left. “Cocktails and canapes will be served here before and after the ceremony. Then we have where the reception will take place.” The reception hall was huge, more than large enough to seat all of their guests at tables of ten while still having room for the dance floor in the middle. The way they were orientating the reception was so the large wall of floor to ceiling windows was to the right of everything. “We’ll have the DJ and band to the left and our couple table at the front.”

“Just how rich is your family?” Nami asked, as the others boggled at the size of the room, the exquisite chandeliers that hung down from the ceiling, the dark wood floors and professional lighting setup. 

Law shrugged while Luffy giggled, “He said he’d pay, I thought I’d take him for every cent.”

All of those who had jobs to do broke off to go examine the spaces they would use and work with other employees as aids. Brocca showed them and the wedding party the three suites that they were going to use to get ready on the day off before leading them back to the top deck. 

They had six people in their wedding party which included on Luffy’s left-selected side Robin, Nami and Zoro and on Law’s right-selected side Baby, Gladius and Kid. Instead of the usual men on one side and women on the other, they had chosen to have the opposite members simply pairing together on their walk down the aisle then splitting to go on their side of each groom. 

Robin was put with Kid to keep his behavior in check during the proceedings. Nami to bully Gladius into keeping calm and Zoro to help keep Baby grounded into not flying into hysterics. They had both been very pleased with their arrangement, having Robin and Kid as the first pair, then Zoro and Baby followed by Nami and Gladius, hoping that by placing Zoro in the middle he would be steered into position by the two women flanking him.

Killer took their spare house key and headed to the house to let in their soon-to-be arriving houseguests while they finished up talking about logistics. 

When they had finished and set the final schedule for all the day’s events, they all went back to Law and Luffy’s house which was already teeming with their friends. Their ordered italian dinner had arrived too, the same place that Law had gotten their Christmas cannoli from. They unloaded their car, carrying boxes and bags of goods into the house and Sanji unloaded his car too, bringing out leftover desserts from yesterday to spread out on the kitchen countertops with the rest of their food. 

Law instructed Penguin and Shachi to carry the shopping bags full of clothes up to their bedroom to sort out later while he and Robin began to get the work stations in order for the tasks to begin as Luffy gave running tours of their new house. Once everything was ready, Law stood against the island with Luffy sitting on the countertop beside him, swinging his feet back and forth as they hung off the side. 

He got the room’s attention so he could give a quick speech, “First off, thank you all for coming out today. We appreciate you spending the evening with us today as well as our actual wedding. We’ve got all sorts of pizza, pasta and salad so help yourselves.”

“And desserts!” Luffy added, munching on a slice of pizza that he had snuck when Law wasn’t looking. 

“We’ve also got drinks, alcoholic and non, so pick your poison and in exchange for this buffet we will be exploiting your labor.” A few good-natured groans were given but everyone knew what they had signed up for by coming over tonight. One of the best things Law had discovered about being an adult was sometimes it meant taking pleasure in the most mundane things as an excuse to spend time together, it didn’t have to be a big production just music playing in the background and the opportunity to chat was enough. Plus you could get twenty and thirty-something year olds to do about anything if you gave them free food, even more so if there was free beer as well. “There’s two stations that we’ve got to work on: measuring confetti at the coffee table and making party favors at the dining table. Feel free to eat, mingle and work as you want but if you mess up any of the stuff I will lose my shit.”

Kid snorted, remarking under his breath though everyone could hear, “Like that’s new.” There was a smattering of laughter while Law fixed Kid with one of his patented scowls. 

“Let’s eat!” Luffy declared, grabbing another slice of pizza. Law grabbed a paper plate to hand to him, kissing him soundly in a mix of fond exasperation. He drank about half of a stout beer before he moved on to get his own dinner, preferring to finish it then move on to start supervising the work after thoroughly washing and drying his hands.

The confetti measuring station was done in three main parts, a group of people unfolding the tiny paper cups, passing it over to another group measuring out the biodegradable confetti with marked off cups so that they would all be filled the same then passing it to a third group who stacked the cups layer by layer into empty boxes. The cups would be brought to the ship and placed on each individual chair to do the toss at the end of the ceremony. 

The party favor station was a bit more complicated because it involved actually arranging the favors by person as opposed to being indiscriminate like the confetti. Through their florist, a young friend of Luffy’s named Rebecca who had recently taken over her family’s flower shop, they had gotten party favors in the way of individually potted blue bird echeverias, the rosette succulents a gorgeous pale blue that matched their color scheme in white pots. The name cards were tucked into the soil with small cards that detailed the plant care instructions with silver holders and each would be placed where that person was to sit during the reception. There was one group placing name cards and instruction sheets into the holders, another group shoving them carefully into the soil and a third sorting the names into one of thirty boxes for each table. This was the station that Law began to work out, since he was the one who made the seating chart he didn’t have to go searching for most names, knowing already which box they needed to get put in.

Everyone was eating, drinking and talking as they worked and with such a cheery atmosphere it didn't take long before the jobs were done. The night wound down with everyone pitching in to help clean up the grand room, carrying the boxes of succulents to the bed of Franky’s covered truck to be taken to the family house since Usopp was in charge of the plants’ health with Luffy and Law’s upcoming trip rendering them unable to watch over the living party favors. Polar was ushered into her crate to go home and Bepo was put on his leash so they could go home with Penguin and Shachi to be cared for in their owners’ absence out of town. Eventually everyone left and the house fell back into its usual comfortable quiet. 

Law was very pleased with the progress that had been made that day, happy that he could mark things off of their mile long to-do list. They got ready for bed, planning on doing their packing for their quick two day trip to Law’s family house for their engagement party in the morning before they left.

Law had finished his evening routine, reading while already tucked under the covers, in a warm pair of cream sweatpants and a black long sleeve sleep shirt, when Luffy came strolling out of the bathroom wearing a pair of purple briefs and nothing else. He put his book down with a sigh, “Why don’t you ever wear weather appropriate clothes? Do you have some sort of aversion to it?”

Luffy frowned, slipping his retainer into his mouth, “I get hot when I sleep.” 

“I didn’t organize your at-home clothes, don’t make me take that back.” Law warned. When they had moved into the house, Law had arranged Luffy’s clothes by type and temperature to ensure that he always dressed for the right weather, implementing rules to restrict the wearing of shorts and sandals when it snowed which Luffy had done numerous times. He had not extended the same level of attention when it came to the clothes that Luffy wore around the house, assuming that with the AC and heater, it wouldn’t be an issue. Except his fiancé had just tried to come to bed wearing nothing but a pair of underwear during the dead of winter and yes, Law kept the house at a reasonable temperature so he wouldn't freeze to death however they were getting married in less than a week and it wouldn't do if Luffy caught some sort of head cold by being so exposed. 

Luffy pouted, “I’ll go put on a shirt if that makes you feel better.” Law nodded his assent and Luffy went into the closet, tugging on a striped pajama shirt with a huff to show Law how inconvenienced he was with the act.

Luffy crawled into bed afterwards, still giving Law a baleful look which made him chuckle, “You can make faces all you want. I don’t want to sleep next to a popsicle.”

Luffy’s nose scrunched up adorably, “Isn’t the term icicle?” 

Law rolled over so he was on top of Luffy, straddling him so he could kiss both of his cheeks, nose and forehead in quick succession, “You’re too sweet to just be a block of frozen water. A popsicle is much more fitting.”

Luffy giggled and Law kissed the beautiful sound off of his lips, crowding up against his fiancé and continue to press gentle fluttering kisses until they both fell asleep, lured by the warmth captured between their bedding and their bodies and the gentle pressing presence of their love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little shorter than usual but we'll more than make up for it later.
> 
> By the way, Happy Kwanzaa to all who celebrate it.


	18. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace had died trying to regain his freedom. Luffy had saved two and failed the most crucial third. He wouldn’t make the same mistake with the man who would be his husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Semi-graphic depictions of torture/murder, onset of near panic attack, exploitation, emotional manipulation, drug and weapons trafficking 
> 
> *The Donquixote family are seriously fucked up.*

Tomorrow was their engagement party, a measly three days before their actual wedding. Doffy hadn’t managed to get the event ready before Christmas and Law had demanded that they do it before they got married which meant it was tomorrow night or nothing since their bachelor party was on the 29th and he refused to do any event on the 30th beside preparation for the following day. 

They were driving to the house today so Law could get some work done at the house because the party tomorrow started at two in the afternoon. 

They intended to leave the house at eleven so that they could stop for lunch on the way there and arrive around one which would give Law the whole afternoon to work and still be done in time for whatever the night’s festivities would entail. 

Luffy had already packed up: an actual pair of matched pajamas instead of just an overlarge shirt and boxers, a suit for tomorrow’s party and two outfits that were Law approved for the winter weather. Now he was just sitting on the bed, playing games on his phone while Law finished packing. All of Luffy’s stuff had fit in his backpack and a duffle bag, plus the suit hanging bag while Law had a big suitcase, not a carry on size but a whole suitcase, which was weird because he had traveled with Law plenty of times before sometimes even on spontaneous road trips and he hadn’t seen his fiancé pack so much before for such a short trip. “Why are you packing so much? We’re only going to be there for one night and two days.”

Law folded another sweater to tuck into the suitcase, “Trust me, I know my family, they thrive off of spontaneity, multiple changes are a necessity.” He gestured to the ottoman, “I pulled out an additional three outfits for you.”

Luffy got up off the bed to look at what had been selected for him and found three varying outfits that would work for vastly different scenarios as well as two other pairs of shoes, it looked like Law really was preparing for any outcome.

“You can wear your sweatpants on the drive but you’ll have to change before we get there.”

Luffy gaped, standing there in a pair of gray sweatpants, a cream blouse with the frilled sleeves he liked and a red vest on top unbuttoned, “Are you serious?”

“Yes, sweetie,” Law answered, his voice a mix of well worn patience and light exasperation for having to explain something for the upteempth time, “My family is upper class. We do not wear sweatpants nor do we have the luxury of simple comfort. We wear tracksuits that cost too much money to be easily wearable and matching sets of athleisure gear that dissolve when you sweat in them. You have to dress perfectly for every situation otherwise you will be scorned. The only kind of novelty clothes you can wear is if you want to be seen as kitschy, otherwise we wear designer clothes that go out of style in a season and buy all new ones, jewelry that costs more than most people’s rent, acrylics that you can barely hold a glass with, hair that you have to get done every week.” Law was really getting into it now and Luffy sat on the ottoman content to listen to another rant about the bourgeoisie he had spent many years around, “We are the young and hip, we go to parties with models in bikinis carting cocktails and bowls of ecstasy sitting out like candy. We drive expensive cars, crash them just so we can get new ones. We go to overpriced galleries with art from overstated, subpar artists buy pieces then pat ourselves on the back for a job well done of supporting the arts. We have hundred thousand dollars ‘spruce ups’ in rooms already decorated for millions, have pianos that we pay people to come in and play otherwise collecting dust, go through maids like an addict goes through cigarettes and don’t lift a damned finger ever. We smoke cigars in wood filled chambers and talk about the state of politics and depravity of the youth while exploiting the labor of people too poor to have the mobility to take better options, paying them barely anything in hazardous conditions, cutting quality and raising quotas so we can make more profits. We get rid of our enemies and competition with assassins and hitmen, broker deals behind closed doors, have children for no other reason but for passing on the family legacy all while smiling and pretending our success is such a surprise as we get hounded by paparazzi, people whisper jealousy about us as we pass by and are treated like royalty by waitstaff out of fear because that is the power of the Donquixote name.” He looked at Luffy with the utmost seriousness, having enunciated these points several times before to make sure Luffy wasn’t going in blind, “That is the family you’re marrying into and is the current state of the upper class and those that rule the black market.”

“It’s what my brother and dad are trying to destroy.” Luffy murmured, twisting his engagement ring around his finger nervously. He was proud of them for making a stand but was worried to see what kind of conflict a full blown revolution may cause, as well as what that meant for his soon-to-be husband. 

“Yes,” Law sighed, “And to be honest I don’t blame them, that’s why I moved away in the first place so I could get some space from those mindsets and get a grip on reality again. I wasn’t born into it, but I was raised in it long enough to not be able to shake off the ties.”

“I bet you could, if you wanted to.” Luffy declared. Law was far stronger than he gave himself credit for and Luffy knew if he tried really hard he would be able to break free once and for all. 

“Maybe.” Law mused, golden eyes ninety-three million miles away just like the sun before they refocused, turning to look at Luffy with conviction, “But that’s a fight for another day.” He walked over so he could lean down and kiss Luffy’s forehead gently, murmuring against his skin, “Right now, I just want to focus on getting through this engagement party.” 

Luffy nodded, “I’ll bring the clothes.” He took the pile of neatly folded clothes and shoved it as carefully as possible into his duffle bag plus the extra shoes. He went into the closet so he could pull out a pair of light wash skinny jeans with no rips in them to change into when they got close to the house. 

When Law had finished packing, Luffy carried their luggage down the stairs since they were too heavy for Law to carry with one hand. He put it in the trunk of the lamborghini which Law took the driver’s seat of with Luffy to act as his copilot and extra hand on the steering wheel or the gear shift if needed. The hour and a half drive was broken up in the mid way point for lunch where Luffy changed in the bathroom of the restaurant they had gone to like his fiancé wished.

Pretty soon they were going up the long cobblestone driveway to the house of the Donquixote  family. Luffy stared out the window as they approached in awe despite himself, “I always forget how big this house is."   


He had only visited twice before, the first time from even before they had been dating- when Luffy had been so desperate and clingy that he didn’t think he could handle Law being away during the night- and the second time after they had been dating for a little over a year- following their first big conversation about their future together and how neither had wanted to part anytime in the foreseeable years and considered eventually getting married-, every other time he had interacted with Law’s family in person had been either in the middle of their two cities or with Luffy having home field advantage. 

It was a huge house, one of the largest Luffy had ever seen, large metal gates with a guardhouse standing in the front, letting them drive through to the entryway of the house, with a long row of garages for all the vehicles situated to the left of the driveway. It was a Spanish style three storied house with 9,000 square feet of living space, with over forty bedrooms, most with their own ensuite baths. It housed the family members with all the makings of a regular house, if a regular house also included an almost full sized movie theater, huge dining room and giant living and game room. The back entrance led out to the courtyard and was flanked by three other buildings arranged in a rectangle, all connected by enclosed walkways so in the cold you never actually had to step outside to move from building to building.

The cobbled courtyard, which was situated in the middle space, was massive with a heated infinity pool for all weather enjoyment flanked by two hot tubs, there was an outdoor kitchen and a large tiled fountain at the entrance of the sprawling garden. The open area was big enough that there could be over two hundred people seated outside at tables as well as dancing room. 

The western building was for housing the multitudes of servants that were needed to upkeep the property and attend to the family’s every command. The eastern building was for storage, containing summer gear during the off-season along with portable heaters and chimeneas for the winter and anything else that was deemed unnecessary.

The southern building, just as grand and impressive in size as the northern house, was used exclusively for business. That was where the offices and meeting rooms were, along with the record hall which Law had told Luffy held the entire workings of the drug manufacturing and weapon smuggling empire that Doflamingo had created over the past few decades. That building alone was enough to get him put away for life, if not given the death sentence as well as convict everyone else who had ever associated with them. That building had state of the art security and fire suppression systems, rigged up like it was some sort of museum with priceless artifacts instead of a fortress of illegal material. It was that record hall, Law had told Luffy, that had kept Doflamingo in power for so long, the best masterminds were the ones who covered their tracks well and kept their treasures in plain sight. Also apparently in the building was a large shooting range for target practice, enough raw materials to blow the whole complex sky high and the entryway to the underground tunnels which led to their factory. (Luffy wasn’t supposed to know about the factory but he had found out one day when he was going through Law’s jeans to toss in the washing machine and found a folded up report from it, containing quarterly quotas. He had put the paper back where he found it and left the jeans in the dirty clothes hamper, starting another load of laundry instead and let Law do the jeans that time around.) 

Law brought the car to the front of the house and got out, leaving the keys in the car. Luffy followed suit, grabbing his backpack from the floorboard as Law gave instructions to the valets that had been waiting to meet them, “Bring our luggage up to my room and leave the keys on the side table.” Law’s room was on the second floor of the northern house along with all the other members of the family who were along the same age group as them, the so called ‘children’. He kept his bedroom locked when he wasn’t around which only Cora and Doffy also had the keys for, so that no one could get in and mess with his stuff, including the wait staff and his siblings. 

He led Luffy up the stone steps into the main foyer where they were almost immediately fell upon. “There they are! Hello, my dear boys!”

Rosinante’s arms were long enough to wrap both of them up in a hug, taking them off their feet with his impressive height. They both squirmed and laughed in his grasp, greeting him back just as eagerly. He placed them both solidly on the tiled floor again, clasping his hands over his chest, “It’s so good to see you both, you wouldn’t believe what a madhouse this place has been trying to get everything ready for your party tomorrow! I can’t imagine how much more stressful it’s been for you two trying to get the wedding all in order! How was the rehearsal?”

“It went well.” Law replied, “How is the party looking, what’s the guest list like?”

Cora looked conflicted, “Good, uh, just, uh, close colleagues and a few,” A suspicious cough to try and cover up the next word, “Hundred.”

“Cora!” Law snapped while Luffy gasped. A few hundred people, that was how many they were inviting to their real wedding. “It was supposed to be ‘small’! You were supposed to stop him from making this a big thing!”

“I know!” Rosinante whined, shying away from the wrath of his son, cowering behind Luffy, “I tried, but Giolla got it into his head about having certain people and I thought it was a good idea but one thing led to another and now there may or may not be a five tiered cake.”

“Five!” Law practically screeched before burying his face in his hands with a groan.

“How cool!” Luffy exclaimed, delighted to go to a party with people he barely knew if he got to eat a huge cake. 

“I’m sorry.” Cora apologized, patting Law’s head in sympathy, “You know how driven he gets. I tried but sometimes it’s like I'm a mute for all he hears my opinions.”

Law massaged his temples, “It’s fine. It’ll be alright, we’re going to have a great party and then it'll be over and we’ll never have to go through something like this again. I have to go to work, will you bring Luffy to my room?”

“Of course,” Rosinante assured, “Come along, sunshine.”

“Bye, babe!” Luffy called as he skipped to follow Cora’s long strides. They went up the stairs to the right wing of the second floor. Law’s room was in between Gladius’ and Dellinger which Cora unlocked for him. The valets had already brought their luggage up so Luffy brought it into the room, picking up the car keys from a side table nearby in the hall. 

Law’s room was like a moment frozen in time, preserved from the last time Law had lived there when he was nineteen, much to the current Law’s chagrin. There were old movie and band posters on the walls, makeshift anatomical models and manga displayed on the bookshelves and a twin XL bed outfitted with space themed bedding. Luffy absolutely loved teasing his sophisticated fiancé about it. Rosinante left to go deal with business on his own so Luffy was left by himself. He didn’t bother unpacking their bags fully but did hang up their suits for tomorrow. They hadn’t brought their real wedding suits, instead opting to bring another set so that their custom suits would remain a secret for their special day. 

He had gotten listless after a bit and started to wander the halls of the north house, slightly bothered by the waitstaff cowered away from him despite how friendly he smiled. He had been to houses with a professional staff before, Vivi had a lot of people hanging around her house and they were way nicer, never minding talking to Luffy as long as they weren’t doing anything too important. Heck, he and Law had a housekeeper who came to clean their house every Tuesday morning, a really nice older lady named Caramel, and she was always fun to be around. He didn’t understand how people could live with other people as servants and not want to get to know them.

“Hi.” Luffy turned towards the voice and found it was Sugar, the youngest member of the family at thirteen years old and ever playful. She had been taken in as an infant with her biological older sister, Monet, who was one of Law’s closest friends among the family. Sugar seemed to like Luffy well enough, not scorning him like some of the older ones had. “You wanna go see my sister with me?”

Luffy liked Monet, since she was so close to Law and liked to flirt with him as a way of teasing her younger brother, so he nodded, “Sure.”

Sugar led him to the south building, with them playing a game of chase along the way, dodging servants carrying things for party tomorrow and hired guns who watched them reproachfully yet didn’t dare to say anything. They ran up the stairs to the second level of the building where Sugar hurried to a large balcony looking down through glass windows to the floor below where something was happening. She jumped up and down, grabbing onto the railing to leverage herself enough to peer below. 

Luffy was grinning as he walked over to the railing to look down, amused by the young girl’s apparent excitement to see her sister. His smile fell off his face and he backed up away from the window with his stomach churning.

“Isn’t it cool?” Sugar cheered, “Who knew you could take all that out and still live?”

Down about thirty feet below the window, was an operating theater where there was an operating table with heavy restraints on the limbs and torso with a man strapped down, his chest split open. Monet was there, her long gorgeous green hair tied into a bun, dressed in surgical scrubs and so was Law, his gloved hands covered in blood as he wielded a scalpel. The man was obviously still conscious and obviously in a lot of pain as Law eviscerated him. It was one thing to know that his fiancé was used to kill people, it was another thing to watch it. 

He felt like he was going to throw up right then and there or at least pass out when a voice crooned, “Isn’t it a thing of beauty?”

Doflamingo came strolling over to where they were standing, “I had been so worried with one of his arms being hurt but our Law, ever resilient, bounced back stronger than ever which is such a relief.” The tall man bent down to pick Sugar up, lifting her up so she could see easier as a man was tortured to death, “He’s so skilled. Monet’s taken to it well but no one can match his raw talent. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Luffy nodded somberly, unable to run away now the patriarch of the family was watching as well, probably looking forward to any potential breakdown Luffy would have, “Yes. Never met another man like him.” 

“There’s a good reason those hands got him the name the 'Surgeon of Death'.” 

Luffy stood there and forced his vision to blur out as Law continued to work, unaware that he had gained an audience, to make himself stand there staring at the carnage without emotion on trembling legs for an appropriate amount of time before turning to Sugar, swallowing down bile to state, “I’m bored, wanna go play a game?”

She nodded eagerly, scrambling out of Doffy’s arms. Luffy walked with her down the hall, feigning nonchalance as they left under Doflamingo’s watchful gaze. Once they were a ways away he asked Sugar to point out the nearest bathroom. She directed him to one, standing guard outside the door as he went in. As soon as the door closed, he practically collapsed on the bathroom floor, stuffing a hand in his mouth to quiet any sounds that tried to escape whether it be a scream, sob or gag he couldn’t let Sugar hear him. 

He had seen Law kill a person before, back when they were still dating, some man had charged them, an enemy of the family, Luffy had been getting ready to raise his fists to ward off a strike with a hit hard enough to break a nose, mad that someone had tried to ruin their movie date night when Law had reacted faster, ducking down to his boot, ripping out the scalpel he kept stashed within in and slitting the assailant’s throat so fast he had managed to get away before the blood had sprayed. Luffy had been shocked and awed by the sudden brutality, simultaneously impressed with how fast his partner had reacted and fearful that the first instinct had been to kill. This wasn’t self defense, this was brutal murder, torture for the sake of information or as punishment for a wrong doing. 

He fumbled along the floor to flush the toilet, getting on his knees to turn on the sink to let the water run to keep up the façade. He gave himself enough time to wash and dry his face to gather his composure before he slapped a smile on and left the bathroom.

Sugar dragged him back to the north house so they could play video games hooked up to the movie theater sized screen in the home cinema which wasn’t able to distract him fully but at least he wasn’t left completely alone to his thoughts. Eventually she grew bored with his company, leaving him to go find someone else to entertain her. He was desperate for fresh air so he went out into the courtyard, sitting down on the edge of a hot tub so he could stick his feet in up to the knees, uncaring of his skinny jeans getting wet due to him not attempting to roll them up before he entered. 

At a little after five, Law came outside, all cleaned up and acting like he hadn’t just murdered a person, it seemed like neither Doffy or Sugar interacted with him to let the fact slip that Luffy had witnessed the deed. He smiled at Luffy cheerfully, “There you are, I’ve been looking for you. What are you doing out here by yourself?” Luffy shrugged, staring at the rippling waves of the hot tub. “Your jeans are wet, it’s going to be impossible to shimmy out of them.” Luffy shrugged again, for all he cared, Law could take his scalpel and cut him out of them. “Sweetie?” Law asked quietly.

Luffy looked up at his fiancé, whose face had been shifted to slight concern, mind racing with anger, questions and accusations. How could Law just stand there after what he had done, pretending like it was a normal occurrence for his family business to include the torturing of people, how could he dare to touch Luffy like his hands were only made to love him when they were so blood stained, how could he try and justify making Luffy spend time in a place that held such horrors, how could he ever expect Luffy to want to bring children into the world together, into a family where children were desensitized to such brutal death, where they would be used as leverage for continued compliance in a twisted system. 

He wants to scream at Law to express that he doesn’t need an engagement party, or a wedding, he doesn't need any money, he doesn’t need anything but Law. He wants to beg for them to run away from this place, to leave right now and never come back. Overall, he wants to cry but then Law’s words from this morning come to mind when he had encouraged Law to break free ‘ _ but that’s a fight for another day, right now, I just want to focus on getting through this engagement party. _ ’ Law knew better than anyone how fucked up the whole situation was, he understood on a fundamental level that he was locked into a scheme that was going to blow up in a terrible fashion and it was going to take down everything he had worked for, everything he cared about but Law was trapped, trapped completely with no apparent way out that wouldn't end in a disaster.

Law was enslaved practically, cornered into this notion of paying dues and doing what was right for a family that didn’t really love him but what he could do for them. 

Nami had been trapped, Robin had been hunted and captured, Ace had died trying to regain his freedom. Luffy had saved two and failed the most crucial third. He wouldn’t make the same mistake with the man who would be his husband.

He smiled up at Law, giving a little half-chuckle as he contorted his face into a teasing expression like this whole time he had been trying to psyche Law out as opposed to being on the verge of a breakdown. “You didn’t tell me you had the highest number of wins in Super Smash Bros. You’ve been holding out on me. I’m kinda rethinking this whole marriage thing.”

Law snorted, the tension in his body releasing, “I’ll get us a system and the game when we get back home as long as you remember you asked for the asskicking.”

(It would take several years, far too long, but Luffy would preserve, playing the game and fighting the fights he needed to so he could deliver his husband to freedom. When their children were born, they were brought into a world without the fear of tyranny and as they were placed in their father’s arms, with his tattoo fingers spelling ‘death’, they would only know his hands to give love and life. For that, Luffy would wait and fake a smile as long as he had to.) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Law and all the other younger members of the Donquixote family have been emotionally manipulated and groomed for the majority of their lives to give themselves up for the 'family' and you can see it in Canon as well. eventually that tension will explode but for now, Law's going to keep on as usual and Luffy's going to be stuck between desperately wanting to help Law go free yet knowing that won't be truly possible until Law makes the choice. 
> 
> The rest of the chapters of this fic are going to way lighter but I had to give you one last hard hitter before we wrap this fic up with a whole lot of wedding fluff. We've got a little aftermath of this one's event next chapter too but not nearly as explicit.


	19. The Engagement Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buffalo leaned into the doorway, looking at Law’s outfit, “Dude, it’s like snowing outside.”  
> Law huffed, shrugging his shoulders, “A true hoe never gets cold.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Past drug and alcohol abuse, referenced murder/torture, underage drinking, emotional manipulation, loosely described sex scene

Law had brought Luffy back to his room so could change out of his wet skinny jeans exchanging them for a pair of black sack pants. They were talking about tomorrow’s party when a knock came on Law’s door. 

Baby was standing there, wearing a leather mini-skirt, a purple see-through long sleeve shirt with mesh floral patterns, displaying her dark purple bra outright with a pair of strappy heels, “Get dressed, we’re taking you two out for a bachelor party!”

Law looked his younger sister up and down, shaking his head, “We’re already having a bachelor party.”

Gladius came stalking over, in a cream turtleneck with copper spikes on the collar with a matching overcoat and pants, “It’ll probably be some lame ass evening with cheap shots and strippers. We’re going to the Rouleaux Club.”

Law gasped slightly, suddenly getting excited, “No way.”

“We’ve already got a hotel room for the night and bottle service lined up.” Baby informed, jumping up and down, an impressive feat in three inch stilettos. “Go get ready, we’re leaving in thirty minutes.” 

Law was already turning to go to his suitcase, Luffy followed him, “What’s the Rouleaux?”

Law pulled out a pair of tall heeled boots, “It’s the hottest and most expensive club in the city, it’s an hour drive away. The best parties are thrown there.” 

“We’ve already got the driver waiting so we’re free to pregame.” Gladius remarked, strolling away to probably get them something to drink.

Luffy opened up his duffle bag, looking through the outfits that Law had picked out for him, it seemed like his fiancé knew that they might do some sort of clubbing with his siblings because while one outfit was another casual one, another was a more sophisticated one appropriate for hanging around the older people in the family, the last one was something Luffy might not want to let his brother or Brook see him wear. Luffy picked the outfit up, running his fingers over the fabric and Law grinned, “There’s underwear to go with it.”

He shot a mock glare at his fiancé, “You perv.” He pressed himself into Law’s side, kissing at the under part of his jaw, “Is that what you like, dressing me, making me look the way you want?” 

Law’s eyes sparkled down at him, “Honey, please, not when my family’s around.” He nipped at Luffy’s ear to purr, “Save it for the hotel.” That was a thought, with them having a hotel for the night they didn’t have to worry about sharing walls with Law’s siblings or crowd into the twin XL mattress.

Luffy left his fiancé to get ready, taking his bundle of clothes to go into Baby’s room, where Dellinger already congregated as well, wearing a pair of white linen shorts, sheer tights, snake patterned turtleneck and black heels. Luffy wasn’t sure what club was going to allow a sixteen year old in, but he guessed if you paid enough you could do anything you wanted. The teenager grinned at Luffy, waving him into the cluttered room, full of plush goods and other girl stuff. 

Luffy changed in her bathroom, stripping off all of his clothes, changing out his underwear too to put on his new clothes, pulling on a pair of fishnets and a rose gold see-through romper with a deep plunging neckline and large billowy long sleeves, shorts cutting off at his mid thighs with rose gold sequins and embroidery, especially on the hems, around the neckline and randomly sporadic areas in various nebulosus. It showcased a pair of brown ankle boots with a chunky heel, unlike the others he didn’t feel comfortable wearing thin heels to go dancing for hours. The only accessories he wore were his engagement ring, the bracelet Law gave him a few months ago and the golden bangles he had gotten from his last birthday from Law. 

He came out of the bathroom and received proper accolades, his romper wasn’t necessarily as fancy as their clothes but he still looked good and dressed up enough that he could hold his own. He sat down next to Dellinger on the low bench in front of the vanity, picking over all of Baby’s makeup that was strewn about. He borrowed a dark brown lipstick and a clean angled lip brush so he could apply it, with a glossy clear coat on top so his lips wouldn’t dry out, trying to hold his hands still while he laughed at Baby’s animated retelling of a time in their childhood when Law’s surgical frogs had escaped, entering the dining room during lunchtime much to the dismay of the adults.

Law entered the room then, leaning up against the doorframe so he could lift one leg up high displaying his four inch heeled boots with heels so thin and pointed that Luffy was sure he could take someone’s eye out with them, showing off the alluring lines of his long legs in black skin tight leather pants in a halter neck backless light gray woven waistcoat. Almost all of his tattoos were on display with the only fabric in the back being the cloth that wrapped tightly around his waist from the front, with the thin straps of the vest barely covering his chest tattoos either, his upper arm tattoos bared to the world with only shimmery silver bracelets covering them, “Oh, I’m so hot, I might have to hit on myself. It’s a good thing I’ve got a handsome fiancé to do it for me.”

“You look great, babe.” Luffy complimented obediently, giggling. 

Dellinger snorted, turning back into the mirror to continue messing with his hair, “Who let him get into the tequila already?” 

“How many shots has he had?” Baby asked as Law winked at Luffy coyly. Luffy kept giggling aware that while Law had a high immunity when it came to vodka, gin and wine and he could drink scotch, whisky and brandy respectably, if you wanted to see his fiancé get drunk fast all you had to do was start giving him shots of tequila.

“Only three.” Gladius answered, pushing Law through the doorway so he could come into Baby’s room as well. Despite the jarring movement, Law barely stumbled, catching his balance on his high heels with practiced ease.

Buffalo leaned into the doorway, looking at Law’s outfit, “Dude, it’s like snowing outside.”

Law huffed, shrugging his shoulders, “A true hoe never gets cold. Besides, I’m bringing a coat for the ride.” 

Monet chuckled as she joined them, in a floor length silver gown with slits high up the sides, a fur muff around her shoulders, her green hair cascading down one shoulder in gorgeous waves, “As long as you all have a plan to combat hypothermia.”

“Can we go now?” Buffalo asked and the seven of them all rounded up their coats, purses and wallets. 

Law stopped Luffy in the doorway, pinning him against the wall to kiss him furiously, already a bit sloppy, his silver chandelier earrings and bracelets making a jingling sound as his head turned and twisted to keep his lips on Luffy’s, hands roaming up and down his side, stroking at the sheer fabric. When they parted, a bit breathless, he said seriously, “I promise you that I will remain mostly sober for our wedding but I ask that you let me get trashed tonight.” 

Luffy nodded his assent, kissing back, “Fine, as long as you're sober enough for the party tomorrow, I’m not going to do that alone.” 

“Deal.”

They went trooping down the stairs in a grand fashion, seven of them in total, the youngest being sixteen and the oldest only thirty-three, two which were engaged and the other five single and ready to mingle. They walked through the main living room, where Doflamingo was sitting on one of the couches, reading a book quietly in front of the fire.

Baby swished by him, leading their parade, “We’re taking the hummer!”

Doflamingo held up a huge wad of cash, all hundreds that Luffy could see, which Gladius took as he passed, “Be back by noon.” 

“Right!"

A large hummer limo was waiting outside for them with a chauffeur, inside was warm with lights pulsing and changing colors with the music and a mini bar that they quickly cracked open. Someone gave Luffy a glass of champagne which he took a few sips of, looking out the window as they left the house behind to head out in the cold winter night. 

The ride to the club was fun, everyone talking over each other, the sun roof open to let the winter wind blow through, music blasting that Luffy and Dellinger sang along to as they drove. They pulled up to a huge building, where people were milling about on the sidewalk leading up to it, valets outside to keep the line of cars moving and opened the doors for them to get out. Luffy stepped out of the limo with Law closely following so they could link arms. Law had pulled a black velvet suit jacket over his shoulders while Luffy had a brown overcoat on but they both hurried to get into the club and away from the cold. 

They all gathered in the entryway, giving over their coats to the coat check before they were led inside to the main part of the building. It was a massive high end club, all flashing lights with the music so loud the very air was vibrating, two stories worth of partying going on, full of young adults having a great time even on a Thursday night. They were brought to the second floor which had bodyguards blocking the entry way so no one could go up the stairs without permission. 

Half of the second floor was a rooftop bar and dancefloor, walled in by glass windows so it could still be used even in the freezing weather, overlooking the city skyline. There was a corner section reserved for them, a selection of couches around a low table with servers who stood at the ready to offer them drinks and appetizers. Luffy ignored the drinks for the time being so he could eat, since they hadn’t had dinner. He thought it was a mistake to not eat since a lot of them had intentions of drinking heavily but apparently a lot of people didn’t want to eat a full meal before they went out to a club to dance and look pretty which he could understand somewhat. He was engaged though so he could eat and dance without worry. 

They spent like twenty minutes at their table, getting drinks and eating before Dellinger and Baby each grabbed one of Luffy’s hands and dragged him out to the dancefloor with them. It was crowded, loud and Luffy was keeping a vigilant eye out, watching over his soon-to-be siblings-in-laws to make sure nobody messed with them as they danced. He was relieved from his lookout duty when the others joined them on the dancefloor a bit later. With Gladius taking guard over the youngest member and Monet playing wingwoman to Baby as they scoured for men to buy them free drinks even though they had unlimited bottle service for the night. 

Luffy normally didn’t drink, partly because he wasn’t legal yet and also because normally it tasted bad to him. He had never been one to want to get trashed on cheap beer like his classmates used to, always of the belief that he didn’t need any sort of substance to have a good time. Today though, after he had a long, emotional day trying to reconcile himself with his fiancé’s other career as a professional murderer and torturer, facing tomorrow’s party full of people he didn’t know that probably were going to judge him, he wanted the chance to unwind which is why he got the girls to order him the sweetest, most fruit-filled drink they could think of for him to chug. It still tasted kinda bad but he was past caring, getting a refill as soon as his first one was finished, though drinking it slower.

He was surrounded by his fiancé’s siblings as they chatted, “Is this the club where we did lines off the super models stomachs?” Baby asked.

“No,” Monet corrected, “That was Icon. This was where we went for Prim’s party.”

“Not that you’d remember either,” Buffalo chided, “You, Law and Gladius got fucked up that night.”

“It was Law’s fault,” Baby argued back, “He was the one that made us start going shot for shot, then we forgot if we had taken one pill already or two.” She giggled, sipping on her drink, “It was two and, ouch, that was a brutal come down and hangover.”

Luffy was a little wide eyed over their causal talk, he had never done any drugs harder than weed- and on one memorable occasion, shrooms- nor had any of his family. He knew that Law, Kid and his group of friends had done stuff like that but Law had been clean for as long as Luffy knew him since it would become a danger otherwise to the people he helped at work. It was crazy to think that while Luffy had been in high school, Law had been out in places like this, chasing highs and living the normal wild life of a child of the super rich. 

Law came over then, having probably done more shots which is why he didn’t immediately start scolding him for drinking or his siblings for providing it to his underage fiancé. Law was a stickler for Luffy only moderately consuming alcohol, letting Luffy have a glass of wine at dinner or sips of his own drinks whenever Luffy wished but never letting him get entirely drunk. He frowned at Luffy and the half-empty drink in his hand and Luffy blew him a kiss teasingly. “You need to drink a lot of water if you’re planning on continuing through the evening like that.”

He saluted mockingly, “Yes, doctor.” He put his drink to the side so he could grasp Law’s shoulders, dragging him downward so they could make out right there. It was somewhat an underhand trick to distract Law yet also cause Luffy was starting to feel the drinks he had consumed, filling him with a warm rush that felt almost insatiable because Law was standing there, looking absolutely incredible and there was no one else in the world who was allowed to touch him like Luffy could and it would be fucking waste to not do so.

They made their way out onto the dance floor, grinding up on each other like they couldn’t at their own upcoming wedding because there would probably be a stampede of people to castrate Law in some well-intentioned misconstrued way of defending Luffy’s ‘innocence’. Law’s whole longer body was bracketing him, toned tattooed arms encircling his waist, fingers digging into his hips to keep them locked together, leather-covered crotch pressed into his ass with such delicious friction, alternating between singing along with the music and saying filthy things into his ear that made his thighs quiver in anticipation. He could finally see the appeal of getting drunk and coming out to where the music was loud enough you had to practically yell to be heard, completely dark except for flashing colored lights, people packed in tightly all caught up in their own lives. No one paid attention to them, they were just another couple lost in the crowd with anonymity they didn’t get often. 

After another hour of dancing, drinking and mingling, Baby came to find him, “You have a brother, right?”

Luffy took a sip of Law’s drink, raising an eyebrow, wondering where this was going, “Yeah.”

“And he’s-?” She prompted and Luffy caught on, grinningly.

“Happily married.” Luffy answered, while Law snickered beside him. 

She pouted, “Damn. All the good men are taken. I’m so mad at you Law for snatching Luffy up before I could meet him.” 

“Yeah, I’m sure your paths would have crossed living in cities an hour and half away from each other.” Law retorted sarcastically.

“It could happen.” She argued back, “You two met by a chance circumstance, maybe we could have too.”

“You’ll meet someone someday.” Luffy promised. He didn’t know exactly how she felt when it came to thinking that the dating scene was hopeless considering that Law had been the first person he had a long term relationship with and was about to be marrying, instead of the numerous pairings other people went through with little success but he did truly believe that the people you were supposed to be with had a way of making it into your life eventually. 

She huffed, shotgunning her drink, “I would’ve already been married if Doffy would stop killing all my boyfriends.”

“He does what?” Luffy asked alarmed, thinking about the possibility that Doffy could have tried to kill him too if he had been deemed unworthy. 

“She has shitty taste in men.” Law explained as if that made murder okay. 

Luffy shook his head incredulously, “Should I be offended that she’s interested in me and my brother?”

Law laughed, leaning down to kiss him, “No. You know how younger siblings are, they always want the nice things their older siblings have.”

A while later, Luffy and Law were coming off the dance floor once again when Law pressed his mouth to Luffy’s ear to be heard over the music, “What do you say we head to the hotel and make the others stay here and wait until the driver comes back?” Luffy threw both of his arms around Law’s neck to jump up and kiss him soundly in reply.

When they were back in the limo, sprawled out on the seats, Law rubbed the back of his neck with an exhaled breath, “I can tell I’m in my late twenties, I’m running out of stamina for that kind of partying.” 

Luffy laughed softly, stroking Law’s sideburns gently, “Poor thing, you’re just too used to lazy nights staying in with me.”

Law’s eyes glowed luminously in the dim light, “I think that’s the better trade off.” Luffy kissed him then, making his way down Law’s face, neck and chest until he was bent over, working his way into tight leather pants, grateful that the divider between them and the driver was up. 

They pulled themselves together enough to check into the hotel that had been booked for the seven of them: two suites that had a living and dining space with two bedrooms each- with one that had one king bed and two queens and the other with two queens per room. They were going to share the king bed of course, with the girls being their suitemates and the boys fighting over the other suite. 

There was a large spread of food waiting for them on the dining table, a bunch of assorted sweets, a seafood tray and another full of fruit on ice. Luffy thought it was too late for seafood but it was never too late for dessert so he dug in, taking bites of a pear whenever he needed a break from all the sugar. Law came out of the bathroom to watch him, “Not that I’m complaining or anything but I thought we were going to have sex.”

“I thought you said you were tired. Besides you know I can multitask, hon,” Luffy said around a mouthful, “I can jack you off with one hand and eat with the other.”

“You know what,” Law began, gesturing for Luffy to follow him to the bedroom, “You keep eating, I’ll take the lead.” Luffy was interested in the proposition so he grabbed some grapes because that seemed like a sexy fruit and shoved the rest of a mini cupcake in his mouth.

The bedroom was stupidly extravagant, not that Luffy really minded but the design was too gaudy for his personal taste. The room décor seemed to be the last thing on Law’s mind as he took off his boots, he didn’t undress any further, instead turning his attention to Luffy. He took Luffy’s boots off with care, massaging the arcs and balls of his feet, sore from standing and dancing for a few hours. Luffy let himself fall backwards onto the mattress, eating a grape and marveling at how his life had come to this moment. Law’s hands ran up his fishnet clad legs next as his fiancé confessed, “You make me want to be a better man.”

Luffy sat up in bed, putting the grapes to the side. It was a loaded statement, it could mean his reform from his previous wild days, it could be in reference to the work he had done earlier that day, it could just be a general statement. Whatever he meant, Luffy’s answer was the same, “You don’t have to be better. You just have to keep being yourself and I’ll be there loving you, no matter what happens.”

“Deal.”

What had started as something driven by a raw lust, a desire to fall upon each other heatedly in a rented bed because they were turned on by mutual admiration of each other’s outfits, impressed by dance moves, loosened by drinks, transformed right into that special space that was made by their love where every touch of the lips felt monumental, passion singing in their bones, rich in their blood, their bodies coming together as if by design. 

—

They made it back to the family house with fifteen minutes to spare, all slightly hungover and bedraggled, wearing the same clothes from the night before, shoes in hand as they went up the stone steps. They were scolded by Giolla over a big breakfast to try and soak up leftover alcohol, pressed for details about the night by Sugar, who had been mad she couldn’t go when Dellinger could yet desperate to hear about her older siblings adventures.

Eventually Law and Luffy made it up to his bedroom to take a quick shower, blowing drying their hair since the party was going to be held out in the courtyard. Luffy had been glancing out the window as they got ready, watching as the multitude of guests arrived. They had finished getting dressed when there was a knock on the door.

Law opened it to reveal Rosinante, dressed in a pink suit jacket with white slacks and his usual black feather coat. He smiled at the two of them, “I thought I would come and give you your wedding gifts now,” He came into the room, placing two flat boxes on the bed, “I know it’s not for a few days but I thought they could be useful today as well.”

He spread the two boxes out so they were side by side, pointing out which one was for Law to open, inside was a bundle of dark fabric. Law pulled it out, a beautiful cloak made of thick wool with a feather collar, the whole ensemble the same color as his navy blue hair. At Cora’s instruction, Luffy opened his own box, revealing a rich black hooded coat lined with cream fur over the whole inside, that reached down to his ankles. The fur was the softest thing he had ever touched and warmth enveloped him instantly as he put it on. It looked nice with his red button up and black slacks. 

Rosinante took Law’s cloak so he could drape it around his son’s shoulders, speaking to them both as he ran fingers over feathers and fur, “You are the sky and the sea; your love is as boundless as what they create and as timeless as their union.” His hands moved to cup their cheeks, brown eyes filled with tender love, “I hope it will always stay that way.”

Luffy wasn’t able to say much more than an uttered, “Thank you.” And Law didn’t seem able to speak at all but his eyes said it all.

The engagement party began with great celebration a little while later, the courtyard filled with people, food and flameless torches. Thankfully the food was served buffet style so Luffy didn’t have to suffer through a formal dinner and people talked as they ate, which eventually led to dancing: drums pounding, tambourines rattling and guitars strumming. Law danced as wonderfully as any of the women wearing flamenco dresses, hands exaggerating the movements his body made as he twirled and turned, stomping to the beat in his heeled boots, no matter how many times he spun he never seemed to get dizzy, his cloak swishing around his form. Law’s outfit last night had been sexy yet somehow, wearing a bright yellow button up the same color of his eyes, sleeves rolled up to the elbows to bare his tattoos, a pair of black slacks and the new cloak the color of his hair, he was even more beautiful. He dragged Luffy out to dance with him, sweeping him up in strong arms, guiding him through the music like he did at their dance lessons. They cut the five-tiered cake, feeding each other bites of almond nougat cake with custard cream that was good but still not as good as whatever Sanji would make. There was a mound of gifts for them to go through and plenty of people Luffy didn’t know to thank as well. 

As they went through the rest of the party, Luffy began to realize that Cora’s gift was meant for warmth and also completely symbolic. No one else in the family would dare to wear such a feathered thing but for Law to be given it meant that he was physically marked as the successor to the two brothers in charge, everyone could see it, the legacy literally hanging on his shoulders. 

If Doflamingo had his way it wouldn’t be long before Law stepped up and took his rightful place as an executive, Luffy was resolved to not let him have it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *Sees Law's raid on Onigashima outfit* Oh, no, he's hot. 
> 
> This chapter was a doozy to write but I'm pleased with how it came out, especially the gifting of the coats.


	20. The Bachelor Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law honestly had doubts if they ever were going to make it out of the escape room alive. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Strip club visit, loosely described masturbation

Their bachelor party had been going very well. Everyone had fun doing the escape room together, despite yelling at each other the whole time as they discussed what clues meant and what to do next, they had managed to beat the room before the time had run out, which Law thought was a big accomplishment for the motley group they had with them.

As per wedding tradition, it was a men only night with Luffy’s family, minus Sanji who claimed he had no time for anything but wedding prep, Law’s siblings hadn’t come either but that was fine because his coworkers came and Kid had brought his crew along for the fun. Together they may have several degrees from respectable colleges, diverse careers that they excelled out along with collective centuries of life experience but Law honestly had doubts in the moment if they ever were going to make it out of the escape room alive. 

They had moved on to a German restaurant next for the dinner portion of the evening because there were flights of beer, soft pretzels bigger than your face and a large variety of sausages which there had been numerous dirty jokes about. Now they had moved on to dessert, with Luffy and Law sharing a mini waffle cone flight of six that had cherry, peaches and cream, strawberry milk, dark chocolate, salted caramel and one Law had never tried before but was loving, smoked vanilla.

It wasn’t the kind of usual debauchery one expected at a bachelor party but it was honest fun, plenty of good company and awesome food so Law and Luffy didn’t see any reason to complain, neither did any of their guests, except for one. 

Kid groaned, stewing as he ate his ice cream furiously, “I cannot believe this is how you want to spend your bachelor party.” 

“I heard you the first seventeen times,” Law shot back, glaring over a spoonful, “We all did.”

Killer rolled his eyes at Kid’s drawn out sigh, “Dude, this is all fine for a normal night out but a bachelor party is supposed to be wild, it’s supposed to be your last chance to go crazy.”

“I’ve told you,” Law argued calmly, “That might be true for some straight guy forty years ago whose views on marriage meant seeing his future spouse as a ‘ball and chain’ so yeah, he might want to make the most of his last few days as a ‘free man’ but,” He shrugged a shoulder to gesture to Luffy, “We’re modern men in a healthy mutual relationship, us getting married doesn’t change anything really, there’s no need to go crazy because after we get married if we want to go to a strip club, we’ll just go to a strip club, if we want to go out and have an orgy, fine, let’s do it.” Luffy snorted a laugh as he ate another mouthful of strawberry milk ice cream while Usopp went bug eyed beside him.

Kid almost pouted, a funny look on a man of his stature, “C’mon, we’ll go to a place with both sexes as performers, everyone will have a great time.”

Law leaned over the table to hiss at Kid, “I’m not going to a strip club with my fiancé and his family.”

“But would you go to a strip club without them?” Kid amended, cracking a grin. 

Law leaned close to Luffy to ask in a hushed voice, “Would I?”

Luffy giggled, “You guys can go, if you want. I don’t mind, I know who you’re coming home to either way.” Luffy stood up then, popping the last bite of cone into his mouth, “We’re gonna go see how long it takes before we get kicked out of the bowling alley.” 

Franky laughed, standing up as well, “I’m betting it’s when Zoro-bro forgets which way the lane is and chucks a bowling ball towards us or let’s go too late and it smashes up into the ceiling.”

“That happened once.” Zoro blustered, finishing off his beer. 

The way he griped, it might have been more than a one time occurrence and that thought was highly amusing. Law grasped Luffy's forearm as his fiancé started to leave to beg, “Please get it on video.”

“Totally.” Luffy leaned down, kissing Law on the cheek cheerily, “Stuff a twenty down some dude’s g-string for me!”

“Will do.” Law agreed, paying their bill so they could head out too. He waited until they had gotten outside then said, “Let’s get freaky.”

Kid pumped his metal fist in the air, “Hell yeah!”

Law didn’t mind strip clubs as long as they were clean and didn’t feel like he was going to get jumped if he stepped outside for some air. The one that Kid had been talking about was one they had visited before that prided itself on being inclusive which meant there were performers of all kinds out on the stage. He enjoyed himself mostly, always impressed with displays of athleticism, sitting down and drinking while dances played on stage. They had tried to get him to get a lap dance yet he obliged only long enough to fulfill Luffy’s wish, passing the dance along to Jean Bart just to laugh at the expression on the normally solemn man’s face. 

Eventually they wrapped up the evening, Penguin dropping him off at the house on his own way home. He was a little tipsy from his night out, not enough that he was heavily impaired but definitely not sober.

Luffy was on the couch when he arrived, taking the time in his absence to watch some new cartoon that Law hadn’t been able to get into. He was already dressed for bed and always so pretty, even by wearing a pair of fleece pajamas with little clouds on them and a faded t-shirt, maybe it was just because he was in love that whenever he looked at Luffy it was like the world had a rosy glow. “Hi, sweetie!”

Luffy paused the tv, turning to face him, “Hey, babe, how was the rest of your night?”

“It was good,” Law answered, hopping on one foot to try and take his knee high boot off, “Lot of nice-looking people in the world, could you believe it? Not nearly as beautiful as you though. How was bowling, did you get kicked out?”

“Nah, though we did dent the lane once.” Luffy’s eyes sparkled amusingly as he watched Law’s continual struggle with his knotted boots. The fingers in his right hand still lacked maneuverability and the ones in his left weren’t very coordinated due to the alcohol he had consumed. 

“I guess hurtling multi-pound solid balls at wood is bound to produce some damage, you ever think th- ah!” Was all he managed to get out before Luffy had scooped him off his feet, one lean arm roping under his knees and the other pressed against his mid back. 

Luffy giggled at him, “You’re drunk.”

“Not totally.” Law corrected, wrapping his arms around his fiancé’s neck.

“Let’s get you to bed, handsome.” Law was drunk enough that he met that comment with a teasing wolf whistle even though he knew that Luffy meant it in a non-sexual manner. The trip up the stairs was a little disorienting but he was far more interested in the visual and sensation of Luffy’s strong arms easily carrying his taller bulk. 

He was placed upright on the ottoman so Luffy could actually take his boots off then he was ushered to the bathroom so he could take a long hot shower. He jacked himself off standing under the water stream, imagining his beautiful fiancé the whole time, who had refused to join him, opting instead to get pajamas picked out for Law to change into then taking care of their pets for the night. 

Law dried himself off, putting on the clothes laid out, obediently drinking the large glass of water set out on his nightstand before crawling under the covers. Luffy joined him soon and Law immediately crowded up against him, seeking out his warmth by laying on top of his chest, head tucked under his fiancé’s chin, which made Luffy laugh in that sweet way Law loved. He fell asleep to the feeling of Luffy’s fingers running soothingly through his hair, humming quietly as he drifted into a dreamless slumber.

—

The next morning, Luffy made him blueberry pancakes, saying endearingly that Ace always insisted they were the best cure for a hangover. They spent most of the day packing everything they could in advance for their honeymoon since they wouldn't have any time before they needed to leave in two days. Law also spent a part of the day cleaning, always liking to leave a clean house when he left on vacation to return. As opposed to making food on their own, or ordering in, they went to Luffy’s family home for dinner.

Zoro let them in, returning to his seat in the living room and Luffy led them to the kitchen, following his nose to the good smells. Chopper was helping Sanji out in the kitchen, greeting them brightly, “Hey, Luffy, Law.” 

Sanji threw himself over a mixing bowl like the very sight was an offense, crying out hastily, “I’m baking bread!” 

Law turned shortly on his heel, whirling back out of the kitchen, announcing, “I will be in the living room.” They all laughed at Law, which he allowed as he called back to his fiancé, “Get me something to drink.” 

“Kay!”

Zoro was sitting in an armchair, apparently not doing anything, maybe he had woken up from a nap since Law couldn’t see anything to occupy his time, the tv turned off and no books in sight. Law sat down in the other available armchair, pulling his phone out of his pocket so he could sit more comfortably, placing it on one of the armrests. 

Luffy came swishing out of the kitchen to place a mug in front of Zoro on the coffee table then handed the other one to Law dutifully, “Here ya go.” 

Law kissed Luffy’s cheek in gratitude before he drew away, which made Luffy giggle at the feeling of sideburns scratching his face. Zoro took a drink of his beverage solemnly, his one eye following as Luffy skipped back into the kitchen then came to focus on Law steadily.

Law met his gaze wordlessly for a solid moment then turned his attention to the steaming cup in his hands. He knew it was coffee just by the smell, and he was pretty sure it was a cappuccino. It had a design made out of the foam on the top, and when he looked at it, he recognized the intricate shape of one of his chest tattoos. Honestly, Law didn’t know how Sanji did most of what he did, their skills sets were so wildly different. His constant effort for decoration of things that got consumed was baffling to Law whose work involved producing successful results that lasted for lifetimes. 

Law took a sip, careful not to burn his tongue, the foam pleasant on his tongue and the familiar bitter taste of espresso. He normally preferred plain black coffee but this was an exceptional espresso blend and paired with quality milk, not like the stuff they picked up at the grocery store, it was phenomenal. He brought his eyes back up to Zoro.

Neither one of them said anything, just sat there with their drinks which Law was perfectly content with, not a stranger to enjoying quiet company. It wasn’t like the house was completely silent, Law wasn’t sure such a thing existed in this house, they could hear the three in the kitchen laughing and chatting away as they baked.

Zoro cleared his throat, drawing Law to alertness but he didn’t speak which made Law start to wonder. His interactions with Zoro one-on-one were limited to only one or two occasions, not due to anything more than he liked being where Luffy was so if his fiancé was somewhere he tended to follow and there were seven other members of the family who usually were around as well. 

This posed an interesting situation though. From what Law knew, Zoro was one of the least outwardly exuberant of the family, however the man always eventually engaged in the mutual shenanigans undertaken and he had joined in teasing Law before and they had held previous conversations at length so why the silence now? Was he trying to test Law and see if he would attempt to speak only to be shut down? Was Law simply being over-analytical? Both of these possibilities were true, or was that what Zoro wanted him to think? He could be manipulating Law but for what purpose? There was hardly any gain in them just sitting here, it would have to be for his own personal amusement which he wouldn’t put it past Zoro to do. 

He was still weighing his options when Chopper came out of the kitchen, went to the bathroom and came back, peering at the two of them curiously, “You guys playing the quiet game?”

“Maybe.” Zoro commented flatly, keeping his gaze cool. So he was messing with Law. Well, two could play that game. 

He settled a bit deeper into his chair, taking another sip of his drink. He started to look around the room, admiring the photos decorating the walls, the patchwork quilt on the back of the couch, the way the light gleamed off the glossy black wood of the baby grand piano, the dark green of Zoro’s lone eye. The sound of laughter drifted out from the kitchen along with rich smells of the dinner to come. It was almost like meditation, the peaceful feeling of being quiet as the world moved around you, nothing truly special except for the pleasantness of life being calm for once. 

Nami came home from work, hanging her coat on a hook and stepping out of her heels as she walked into the living room. She looked at the two of them, just sitting in silence, and shook her head, “Have you two just been sitting there awkwardly this whole time?”

“No.” Law corrected, “Not awkwardly. Reflectively.” 

With a nod of agreement, Zoro smiled.

It didn’t take long for more of the family to show up, each bringing their own unique facet to the overall noise level in the house. There was a soft murmur going through the other members, one that Luffy wasn’t privy to which led Law to speculate over what they had in store for the evening. 

He got his answer soon enough, when everyone else had returned and were gathering for dinner, Luffy complained, “When is Usopp going to get here? I’m hungry.”

Sanji hid a grin as he scolded, “You know the rules, we don’t start eating until everyone arrives.”

Luffy groaned, “Traffy doesn’t have that rule. He lets me eat whenever I want.”

Law blanched, cowering in his seat, “Don’t drag me into this.”

He was saved by the sound of the front door opening, followed by Usopp calling, “We’re home!”

“I hope we’re not too late,” A young woman declared in a soft-spoken voice that Law recognized, “I know how Sanji-san gets about dinner starting on time.”

Luffy threw himself out of his chair, sprinting to the entryway, skidding on the carpet with his socked feet, crying out in delight as he mobbed her with a hug, “Vivi! I thought you weren’t getting here till tomorrow.”

She and the other eight members all laughed at the success of their surprise, “I caught an early flight.” 

Law rose to his feet along with the others, moving over to greet her. He was the last one in the receiving line, and she smiled up at him, “Hello, Dr.Trafalgar.”

“Good evening, Nefertari-ya.” He greeted back, taking her hand to hold warmly. They had an easy relationship built by a commonality of being additional members of the main nine family and he was always glad to see her. 

She squeezed his hand back, “I’m very excited for your wedding tomorrow.”

“What a coincidence,” Law pronounced, beaming down at his soon-to-be husband, “So am I.”

—

Later, back at their own home, they were gathering things up for tomorrow, their suits in their hanging bags in the closet, all the needed accessories and shoes packed into bags. Law checked and double checked the list he had made, looking over every item of clothing for anything wrong, making sure every single thing was accounted for, consulting other lists on the internet to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.

Finally he was satisfied that there was no fatal error, he started running the bath with the jets going. About every article he had consulted had emphasized the importance of taking some time the day before the wedding to destress. He poured in some vanilla scented bubble bath, stirring it up with one hand as he checked the temperature. Content that it would fill up nicely on its own, he went downstairs to pour himself two fingers of whisky, warmed up some milk for Luffy since he deemed it too late to give his fiancé any form of caffeine even in the diluted form of hot chocolate. 

He brought the drinks back upstairs with Bepo on his heels to place them on the countertop, dimming the lights and putting on some soft music to set the mood. He stripped out of his clothes, kicking his jeans onto Bepo’s head to watch the dog get annoyed until he was freed from the fabric, wagging his tail in forgiveness to Law who stroked his head, chuckling before shooing the dog out of the bathroom. 

Law was already sunk into the bubble bath, drinking his whisky when Luffy came into the bathroom to join him in stripping and splashing into the bath with him. They sloshed water out of the tub as they maneuvered to both fit together with him hoisting their drinks high in the air so they wouldn't get knocked over. It ended up with Law’s longer legs spread on either side of Luffy’s shoulders, leaning into the lip of the tub while Luffy’s legs on either side of his hip, slightly bent at the knees. 

“So tomorrow.” Law began conversationally, handing over the mug of warmed milk. “Are you nervous?”

Luffy gulped down a mouthful like he wished it was a slightly stronger drink, “Aren't you?”

Law released a sigh, shifting his back so a jet hit a sore spot, “I am. I shouldn't be though, it's just another day that's going to pass. It’s going to be a busy day but we’ve got plans and a timeline in place and I’m confident in our friends and family to make sure it doesn’t fall to pieces.” He reached over, through the water and bubbles to take Luffy’s hand, slender fingers wrapping around his own tattooed knuckles tightly, running the pad of his thumb over Luffy’s engagement ring which less than twenty four hours from now would have another ring joining it permanently. “Even if it does turn into a disaster, you do know that it’s still going to be the best day of my life because at the end of it, I’ll be able to call you my husband.”

Luffy’s dark eyes were shimmering; the smallest, most gentle smile on his face, repeating the sentiment back by the pure expression in his face, “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stand by my decision that Law and Vivi would be good friends. 
> 
> We've moved into the final stretch now, we'll kick off the wedding day events tomorrow.


	21. The Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law stood up, winking, “I’ll be the handsome one in the custom suit and heels.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: None

Law had meticulously planned their wedding day. Luffy wouldn’t say it was planned minute by minute but it was scheduled out to the half hour, which was a lot more structured than Luffy normally liked to live his life.

Part of the whole wedding day schedule included their waking up, so Law had no less than fifteen alarms set on a five minute delay to make sure they got up at their designated time of nine in the morning. 

Turns out, they weren’t needed. 

At 8:59, the door of their bedroom swung open with Bepo leading the parade trooping into their room with a great cacophony of chatting and coffee which woke them up abruptly.

“Wake up lovebirds!”

“Good morning!!”

“Let’s get this party started!”

Robin opened the curtains, “Time to get up.” 

Law groaned quietly, poking his head out of the cocoon of blankets, peering at their present company before he ducked back under the covers, “Why did you give any of them the key and the passcode to the alarm?” 

The alarm clock started to go then and Luffy sat up in bed with a yawn to hit it off, “I didn’t do it.” Someone must have made a copy of the key whenever they had it and several people had been given the passcode at different times to help them out during Law’s extended hospital stay. 

“C’mon, Trafalgar, get your ass in gear!” Kid declared, jeering. 

Law groaned again, sitting up with a hand rubbing through his sleep tousled hair, “You better have brought me some coffee.”

“We did, plus breakfast!” Chopper cheered, holding Polar in his arms. 

Law took the coffee cup that Penguin handed him, taking a sip as he grabbed his phone to turn off the back up alarms. Vivi gave Luffy his white hot chocolate, sharing an eager smile with him. 

It didn’t take long for the caffeine to do its trick on Law and he was raring to go. He got out of bed, going to the bathroom to grab his packed toiletry kit to tuck into his full duffel bag. He grabbed his hanging bag, passing both off to Shachi to hold. He shoved his feet into a pair of fur boots, ready to leave still dressed in his sweats since he was getting changed later, “Alright, we’re heading out.” 

He shoved his coffee into Killer’s hands to climb onto the bed again to wrap Luffy up in strong arms, squeezing him as he pressed a kiss to his cheek, “I will see you later tonight.” He stood up again, winking, “I’ll be the handsome one in the custom suit and heels.”

“Bye, babe!” Luffy called, watching his fiancé leave with slight apprehension. They wouldn’t see each other again until right before the ceremony several hours later which normally Luffy wouldn’t be too torn up about since they often spent the workdays away from each other but he was a little nervous about what was going to happen later. Not nervous about the getting married to Law part but the actual marrying part. 

He didn’t have time for nerves though, they had a schedule to keep and it started with him eating breakfast. 

There was an egg scramble waiting for him downstairs with diced sweet potato, spinach and mushrooms, courtesy of Sanji who was off and getting things ready at the ship already. He polished the breakfast off, feeding the pets as well, before he headed back upstairs. 

Usopp was there to trim his bangs, having him take a shower after it was finished to wash the excess hair away. He stood under the hot spray for a while, trying to collect his thoughts and gather his nerves. He had always tackled everything that came his way without hesitation and this would be no different. Once they got through the ceremony, the logistics and formalities were done, all that was left was the big party and Luffy loved parties. 

When he got out of the shower, Robin put a few drops of some kind of oil into his scalp, brushed it in then blow dried his hair so he wouldn’t catch a cold. He used a cotton ball to apply a rose water toner over his face, followed by a moisturizer that had sunscreen in it to prep his face for the day. He brushed his teeth then packed his toothbrush and toothpaste into his bag for him to brush his teeth again after lunch, making sure to pack mouthwash and floss as well so his breath would be minty-fresh for the big kiss. 

He gathered up all of his bags that had been packed up yesterday night, letting Bepo out one final time, giving Polar a scratch of the ears, before he left the house with his entourage. 

The first stop was to get their nails done, the women getting a light gray while he got his nails painted a pretty white that made his engagement ring seem to sparkle more on his finger and would look nice with his suit as well. People didn’t usually wait to the day of the wedding to get their nails done but Luffy was a little too rowdy to get them done in advance else they would have been all chipped by picture time.

By the time they had gotten their nails done it was time for lunch. They got sandwiches since Law wasn’t around with veggie chips and sliced apples with peanut butter. Despite his great love of food, Luffy found it hard to eat, nerves making his stomach feel in knots. He only choked his lunch down in between sips of water due to Robin, Chopper and Vivi’s insistence that otherwise he might faint and while Nami and Usopp said that would be a great video, the idea was shot down. 

They drove to the docks next so they could get to the ship, which at 1:05pm was a flurry of movement as the ship crew and their friends and family got ready for the wedding that started at 3:45pm sharp. They had chosen such a weird time so that the sun would be up the whole time during the ceremony because it was the dead of winter and the sun started to set a little before five. The weather was nice today, the sun was out and the sky was supposed to stay clear the whole time they were out meaning that they would have no problem sailing or seeing fireworks that went off later in the night. It was cold enough that you could see your breath yet the wind chill wasn’t so great that it was uncomfortable being outside if you were dressed warmly.

Brocca met them as they arrived, showing them to the suite that was prepared for Luffy to get ready in, dressed in a skirt suit with a matching hat. Usopp, Vivi and Chopper left them then to go change quickly so they could help out with the arrangements. They were met by the makeup artist there to assist the women get ready and Baby who was going to finish getting dressed with them. Nami was about to sit in the chair to get started when she asked him, “You sure you don’t want any makeup? We won’t do anything crazy.”

“Yep,” He wasn’t opposed to wearing makeup on occasion and this did qualify as a special occasion, however, “I wanna marry Torao with the face he’s gonna see every morning.” 

She shot him a chiding look, “It doesn’t have to be that drastic. Let’s at least put some colored balm on your lips, you don’t want them to chap.” He agreed with that, selecting out a lip balm a shade darker than his natural lips. 

While the ladies were taking turns getting their makeup done, talking as they did their hair in front of the mirrors set up, Luffy sat by an open window feeling the cold salty air hit his cheeks. He had the piece of paper that his vows were written on grasped tight in his hands, looking over the words he had written, trying to decide if they were actually what he wanted to say word for word or if he should use it as a reference point otherwise ad-libbing when the moment came. 

“You showing up to your wedding in sweats?”

Luffy looked up, about to correct Zoro that obviously he was going to change, when he caught sight of the other man.

They had decided that having completely matching outfits for anything was a bad choice, so Law and Luffy were going to wear different suits, the three women had the same color dresses in varying styles and the three men in their wedding party were allowed to wear whatever suit they wanted in the same color. 

Zoro had on a charcoal gray suit with long black lapels, a black dress shirt providing a stark contrast to his dark blue tie and black dress shoes. Luffy had never seen him wear a suit that nice before, it fit him amazingly, tailored to his broad shoulders and thick chest. He almost looked like a whole new person, totally elevated in style; he actually looked like his father’s son. “You look nice.”

“Thanks.” Zoro cocked his head to the side, gauging Luffy’s mood in seconds, “You want me to sit with you?”

Luffy nodded gratefully as his best friend joined him on the window seat. They didn’t talk but Zoro’s steadfast presence alone was enough to calm him down marginally, grounding his nervous energy.

A little while later, Sanji came into the suite, not even glancing at the women getting ready as he strode over to Luffy, looking incredibly wonderful in a light gray suit with a black dress shirt under it. He had white loafers and this crazy cool white shawl with different knitted patterns and a fringe along its length that reached down to his knees. He was flushed from cold and stress, smoking like a fiend. He grabbed Luffy’s cheek with a snarl, “I could kill you.” He gritted out, tugging, “This stress is why I don’t do weddings.”

“Sorry.” Luffy managed to say past the pull on his mouth, promising, “It’s the only time.” 

Sanji let go to rush away, calling over his shoulder, “You don’t ask me for anything for the next month!” 

“Thank you!” Luffy shouted after him, giggling, while Zoro shook his head disapprovingly but didn’t say anything, aware that if he started antagonizing Sanji like they usually fell into, Sanji might actually take one of the cheese knives and saw his head off. They sat at the window and watched as guests started to arrive for the wedding, being greeted and directed towards the entryway to enjoy cocktails in the warmth of the inside while they waited for the ceremony to start. 

Twenty minutes later, the three female members of their wedding party were getting dressed into their gowns. All three dresses were bought from the same boutique and the same pale gray color but in different styles and cuts. Nami’s had a black sash wrapped in a big bow on the back with strappy silver heels. It had black lining on the sweetheart strapless neckline, billowing out like a tea cup which went just to her knees. She pulled on a pair of thick black tights under the dress, complaining, “Did you have to get married in the winter, outside?” 

Luffy giggled, looking at Robin’s dress which was ankle length with thin black straps and a black sash wrapped around her waist tied in the front with matching gray heels. Baby had a one shoulder a-line dress with a slit on the front and a black bow on the one shoulder with a pair of chunky black heels. All three of them had the same light blue glass earrings and silver and blue glass necklaces which were their gifts from the couple as thanks. 

Then Inazuma and Hawkins appeared, both there to help Luffy get ready. In the bathroom, Ina gave Luffy a tissue paper lined box, instructing him on how to put it on and also how to take it off when it was time. Hawkins helped him get dressed in his custom suit, layers of soft fabric to help keep him warm during the outdoor ceremony but not hot during the reception. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, he donned on his accessories: a pair of diamond studs, the golden chain bracelet Law had given him and Ace’s red and white striped glass bracelet. 

With that done, he exited the bathroom, holding his boots in one hand so he could sit down and put them on. Someone knocked on the door then, which everyone made a fuss about, until Sabo poked his head in, “It’s just me.” 

Sabo was even more dashing than usual, with his black tailcoat, and midnight blue dress shirt. He had white buttons on his lapels along with a white pocket square and fine white gloves. He was grinning widely as he approached Luffy, sitting in a plush armchair, leaning down to kiss his cheek tenderly, “Hello, Lu. How is everything going?”

“Good.” Luffy admitted, his nerves giving way to an excitement that was making his stomach flutter. 

“We’re on schedule.” Robin chimed, applying her lipstick. Luffy nodded along, pretty proud of them for sticking to the strict timeline enough that they hadn't felt rushed at all.

“That is always good.” Sabo agreed. He pulled a small item out of his jacket pocket, holding it flat in his palm so Luffy could see, it was a single six-pence, “Your dad wore this at his wedding, so did I and now you will. For luck.”

“My something old.” Luffy whispered, taking the coin. He hadn’t put his boots on yet so it was easy to tape it into his left shoe to wear, lacing them up tightly. “I got my borrowed.” Luffy said, holding up his right wrist that Ace’s bracelet was on. 

Sabo took up his hand, squeezing gently, “He would brag to everyone here about how incredible you look.” 

Luffy squeezed his hand back, grinning through watery eyes, “Thank you for walking with me.”

“It’s my greatest honor.”

Rebecca came in next, bringing the three bouquets, Zoro’s boutonnière and Luffy’s flowers so they could get everything adjusted and pinned into place. Once everyone was satisfied and Luffy made sure that he had everything he needed, they left the suite as a group, heading through the lower parts of the ship so no one saw them to go meet up with Law’s ensemble.

Luffy was in high spirits at this point, more than ready to be reunited with his soon-to-be husband so they could hurry up and get married, joking with Sabo about something when suddenly, there was Law and his breath was swept away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luffy's got a little pre-wedding jitters which I think would be in character for him since he feels pressured with the strict scheduling plus having certain questions and phrases that he needs to repeat while a lot of people of watching could be intimating. I feel like he's someone who the spotlight tends to find, not someone who seeks it out. 
> 
> This chapter is short but I needed to cut here because I don't like the idea of having the official wedding events divided up.


	22. The Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With time to kill before he needed to finish getting ready, Law wrapped his feather cloak around himself and went out to the top deck to see how the preparations were going for the ceremony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I threw a whole lot of references to past chapters and Part 1 in today. 
> 
> Content Warnings: Mentioned death and depression

So far Law’s day had been going all according to his plans: he woke up, had coffee with his healthy breakfast, went to the nail salon so he could get his nails painted a glossy black- spent the whole time alternating between dreamily imagining the wedding ring about to be placed on his finger and stressing about having to sit in a chair for forty-five minutes when there were a million other things that needed to be done. He got his facial hair shaved by a professional at a barber shop, to make sure all the lines were straight, then had a salad for lunch with brown rice, roasted broccoli and crispy shallots topped with shredded parmesan and lemon vinaigrette while gel under eye masks worked to try and brighten the dark bags under his eyes that he hadn’t been able to escape for over fifteen years. 

They headed to the ship so he could get ready and he sat in front of a lighted mirror for almost an hour. He knew Luffy’s personal stance on using makeup for today but Law didn’t have flawless skin like his not-even-in-his-twenties fiancé, he was twenty-seven and looked it, not that he didn’t look damned good but it was wedding day, he was allowed a little extra glamor. 

First, he applied an oil-free moisturizer followed by a matte sunscreen, then he patted liquid concealer under his eyes with the pad of his index finger. He used a cream eyeshadow just a shade darker than his complexion on the lid of his eye. He had brought his special gold pencil eyeliner that was the same color of his eyes for the occasion, applying a bold line of the shimmery gold then put a thinner band of black liquid liner on top of the gold closest to the lash line. He finished the look off with two coats of mascara, envious of Luffy for having such naturally thick and dark eyelashes. He brushed over his whole face with a loose translucent powder, followed by a setting spray to round everything off and make sure nothing smudged, luckily none of his clothing went over his head so he didn’t have to worry about smearing makeup on his suit while he got dressed, though he was going to wait until later to put his lipstick on.

With his makeup done and time to kill before he needed to finish getting ready, Law wrapped his feather cloak around himself and went out to the top deck to see how the preparations were going for the ceremony. 

The whole area had been transformed just like Brocca had told them, the heaters already going to fight off the cold weather with the chairs positioned in a semi-circle instead of straight rows which made it seem more intimate while giving those seated furthest away from the aisle an improved view over what they would have gotten normally. The arrangement had been of Luffy’s insistence who didn’t want their wedding to seem like they were ‘in school’ by having boring rows. The band had their black chairs and stands set up on the right and the black carpet had been laid down to cover the altar, flanked on both sides by overlapping boxes of arrangements of white roses, larkspur, lavender, nigellas with lambs ears and seeded eucalyptus which would be the centerpieces of the tables at the reception. The raised platform was covered by black carpet as well, with a tall arch in place that was decorated with the same arrangement as the flower boxes plus boxwood and sprigs of tansy for an extra pop. Law couldn’t look at the arch too long or he would start to get emotional, instead trying to distract himself with busy work. 

They were still putting out the confetti cups so Law joined them until Giolla came over and ushered him away, putting his siblings to work instead besides Gladius who followed Law back to his suite and Baby who went to Luffy’s. Law figured that it was time to get dressed anyway since the guests were going to be arriving soon so he didn’t mind. 

Kid was already dressed in a charcoal gray kilt suit that had a matching jacket, vest and socks with the kilt predominantly charcoal gray with black checkering. His jacket was hanging off of his left shoulder and his white dress shirt was cut off right below the shoulder on his left arm since his prosthetic was too large to be shoved into any sleeve. His sporran was black leather with a silver belt chain and his tie tucked under his vest was a dark blue. Gladius got dressed too in a charcoal gray suit with a double breasted jacket, with a light blue dress shirt with a dark blue tie and leather studded boots.

Law had banned anyone non-necessary from being in his suite, afraid that the room would get crowded otherwise and nothing of substance would get done, which meant only the two members of the wedding party were there with him, as well as Hawkins to help him get dressed and Killer to help wrangle Kid. Rosinante came in as well since he would be walking with Law, gorgeous in a black three piece suit with very thin white pinstripes, a midnight blue dress shirt and his black feather coat hanging off his shoulders like usual. He had a very light blue eyeshadow on his eyes with dark red lipstick and a small heart shaped pin on his lapel. He managed to refrain from kissing Law to not leave a smudge but did hug him very tightly for a while before he had to let go so Law could get dressed.

Hawkins had spent hours constructing their suits from bolts of fabric, besides their socks and shoes not a single piece had been bought. Law’s suit was a two piece made of light dove gray wool. The single breasted jacket had a double vent that reached down to just above his knees, complete with roped shoulders and peak labels that Law had no intention of buttoning any time during the night. The pants were a single pleat of the same color, in a slim fit that highlighted his long legs, stopping right at his ankles where his boots were tucked into the fabric. His vest was a deep black, embroidered with delicate steamed and vined flowers along with his usual swirling heart motifs in black thread which you got a good view of since his jacket was open. He had put a crisply pressed black button up underneath along with a tie the same color of freshly fallen snow with a midnight blue pocket square tucked into his jacket pocket as the sole pop of color. 

He had warm thermal socks hidden by his boots which were a thing of beauty, made of fine black leather, lace ups with a pointed toe and four inch heels. Gladius laced his boots up for him, making sure it was snug and wouldn’t come undone yet not too tight. He put on the silver necklace he had gotten for Christmas, making sure you could see it amongst all the fabric and collars. He put a pair of diamond studs in his upper piercings and a pair of large black diamond studs ringed with smaller white diamonds in his lower piercings. Doflamingo had given him a pair of diamond cufflinks set in white gold as one more wedding gift and that was all the jewelry he was going to wear. 

The whole look was gorgeous, perfectly tailored to his body and warm enough that at present the cold wasn’t able to penetrate the layers even if he wasn’t wearing another coat over it. They had both brought their new coats in case the weather got way colder or snowed. 

Rebecca came with their boutonnières, a single white rose with small nigella buds and stephanotis blossoms, that was pinned to their lapels. She had the bouquets for the women as well which were made of delphiniums, white lisianthus, white roses, blue larkspur, white snapdragons, grape muscari and stephanotis blossoms. She also had the flower crown that Law was supposed to wear, a delicate piece which was made of variegated ivy leaves, woven with jack frost leaves and flowers, accented with tiny white berries, little stephanotis blossoms. The green, white and blue ensemble looked beautiful nestled amongst his navy blue hair and his outfit was complete. 

He applied a plum matte lipstick to his lips, tucked a thin jewelry box into his pocket, gave himself a final look in the mirror then left the suite with the others. They took the back way through the ship, keeping away from any prying eyes. He was listening to Kid complain of going to get blue balls from wearing such a breezy pair of bottoms even though he was the one who insisted he wear a kilt, when he caught a glimpse of swishing black out of the corner of his eye.

He turned fully, breath catching in his chest as he came to a standstill. 

Wow. 

It was Luffy, dressed in a beautiful black wool suit, with light gray lapels and cuffs with white buttons that cut his figure tightly, the collar flared out in perfect corners, the fabric embroidered with vines and steamed flowers and crashing waves in black stitching. The tailcoat tapered into his waist then flowed outward in a loose wave down past his knees, the sleeves a three-fourths cut, with the same midnight blue pocket square and boutonnière decorating it. His short vest was a light dove gray, the same color of Law’s suit, with a black tie and his undershirt was made of white fleece that followed the contour of the suit jacket, narrow around his waist then billowed out to his knees, ruffled slightly so that it flounced around his body with a high collar and flared sleeves that went past his wrists. His pants fitted close to his legs, tucked into his mid calf height boots which were made of a black suede, laced up tight with black ribbons with chunky one and a half inch heels. He had on a flower crown as well, along with his straw hat hanging from the string around his neck, his bare forearms were displaying his older brother’s bracelet on one arm and the golden chain bracelet Law had given him on the other. 

It felt like first time Law had ever seen him, like they were right back in Shabody Park where they were at the same festival and Luffy punched an asshole so hard the other man’s blood was dripping off his fist, the whole going still as he stood there so proud and mighty despite his short, slight stature, with an eternal fire dancing in his fathomless eyes, more free and brave in that moment than any other person Law had ever met. When Law looked at him, a man he didn’t even know the name of, he felt something stir inside him, a deep set familiarity as if his very soul moved in recognition of something he didn’t know the name of and all he could think was ‘ _this man will change everything_ ’. Their gazes had barely connected that night, the slightest moment of eye contact as Law was standing there impressed as pandemonium ensured and the stranger had flashed a grin that was brighter than any spotlight in it’s sudden intensity, Law had been immediately captivated though they had gone their separate ways that night. It wasn’t too long after that they crossed paths again in much less fortunate circumstances and Law had been determined to not let him slip away again. It wouldn’t be long now before he never had to worry about it again, there would be matching rings on their fingers coupled with the promise of Law getting to see that beautiful smile every day for the rest of his life.

It was shining at him now, as Luffy had caught sight of him at the same time, his face lighting up with joy, open admiration and a love, _love,_ ** _love_** that made his heart ache, his knees weak, smile on his own face so large it hurt his cheeks at being the center point of such radiant affection that had only been in his life for less than three years but was made of raw eternal emotion that he couldn't imagine breathing without, had given up one of his arms so he could keep it, would challenge the world to a fight and win if it would mean he could keep that love and the man it was given to him from. 

He let out a shaky breath, his right hand coming to rest over his diaphragm, “I would say that you’re more beautiful today than I’ve ever seen you, but,” He shrugged slightly, shaking his head as he finished, choked up, “I think that just about everyday.”

Luffy laughed a bit, dark eyes almost liquid, teasing back as he moved closer, outfit flouncing around him as he did, “Top five?”

“For sure.” Law agreed, laughing as well. They did an almost full circle around each other, turning so they could admire each other at every tailored angle, hands reaching out to stroke fabric, gazes trailing from flower crowns down to the tips of boots, absorbing the matching touches, the reflected color motifs and the intricate stitching. "I have a gift for you." 

"Really?" Luffy inquired with a gentle smile, twinkling fathomless eyes, "Because I have one for you too." 

Law chuckled fondly, pulling out the jewelry box he had hidden in his pocket. He gave it to Luffy who exchanged it for a small felt bag, so they both opened their presents. 

Law undid the drawstrings of the bag, sliding out a small flat round object. Upon further observation he realized it was a coin, just not one he had seen before. It had the date on it, as well as their names on one side wrapped by engraved vines, on the other side there was an intricate insignia that looked like one of his chest tattoos and the symbols Luffy drew. At Law’s questioning look, Luffy explained, "You collect ceremonial coins, like a nerd, so I thought you'd like this one. I had it made, it's our anniversary coin."

Law let out a barely there breath, swept away by love for this beautiful soul standing in front of him. He nudged Luffy’s hand that held the jewelry box, "For you. It matches the other one. I thought it could be your ‘something new’." 

Luffy opened the box up, pulling out a thin gold chain necklace, that had a little gold orb at where the two strands overlapped. Luffy gasped slightly, holding up his left wrist so he could see the two side by side, "I love it."

Law slipped the coin in his jacket pocket where his pocket square was tucked in so he could put the necklace on Luffy from behind. He felt a deep pride in being able to do the clasp on his own, the feeling having returned enough in his replanted right arm though weeks of hard physical therapy and Luffy’s patient care that he could maneuver his fingers. Law adjusted the gold chain to make sure it was seen, threading it around the high collar of Luffy’s white shirt, it hung in the space between the collar of his white shirt and the light gray vest, golden and dazzling. Law squeezed Luffy’s shoulders from behind to signal he was done and Luffy turned quickly to throw his arms around Law’s neck to hug him.

“That’s real fucking cute but we’re gonna have to get this show on the road. Unless you wanna get off schedule and go off the cuff which I’m down for but hey, it’s your wedding.” Kid interrupted.

Killer shoved him with a groan as a few others laughed, “Way to ruin the mood.” 

The comment had been brought about by their three ushers who had come to tell them that everything was ready and most of the guests had already been seated which meant it was time for them to make their appearances. Usopp wearing a smart looking black pant and vest combo, with a white button up underneath and sun yellow tie, had a gray trench coat over and a thick purple scarf, informed, “The last of the guests are being seated, they’re clearing out the foyer now so you’ll be in the clear.”

“When we go out again we can tell Brook that they can start playing.” Vivi offered, in a floor length light purple gown, wrapped up in a thick red shawl as well as a long plush coat. 

Law shared a look with Luffy who nodded with a grin, “We’ll start heading over there.”

Chopper was wearing a nice black suit and the exact same pink bowtie that he wore the night of the fundraising gala that the three of them went to, had only his usual hat on as well, seeming unbothered by the imminent cold, waving, “Bye, guys! See you out there!”

“That would be our cue to leave then.” Inazuma added, leading Hawkins away. Killer stayed a moment longer to kiss Kid then followed, calling over his shoulder to Robin, “Feel free to threaten him to get him to behave!” 

Robin took her place on Kid’s arm with a slight smile, “I’m much more of a positive reinforcement kind of discipliner.” Luffy shared a knowing grimace with Nami and Zoro that made Law and his siblings stifle laughter. 

The foyer was empty of everyone but workers by the time they made it to the top floor and the ten of them all took a minute to straighten themselves up for the last time. Rosinante adjusted Law’s flower crown that had gotten eschew then straightening out his lapels with quivering lips, “I’m so happy this day has come for you, and that I get to see it.” Was added and Law refused to let himself think about what he meant, the time both of them had made a major misstep out of desperation and almost lost everything. 

Law reached up so he could straighten his secondary father’s coat, forcing himself to not start crying before he even made it down the aisle, “I wouldn’t have made it to today without you, so thanks for being there, and here, and loving me and him. It means a lot.”

“Course, I’m here, you’re my son.” He brushed his hand over Law’s cheek, smiling wetly, “I’m just happy to finally have another one. I think I’ve waited very patiently for long enough.”

“Well, yeah,” Law agreed, joking to lighten their moods into something much more fitting for the celebration the day was, “It’s like pets, you can’t just have one, you need to get them a companion, emotional enrichment and all that.” 

Rosinante nodded along, humoring Law with a wink, “All that.” 

Their bridal party got in their paired line, all waving goodbye at Law and Luffy happily as they got ready to make their entrance through the double french doors out on the deck. 

The remaining four sneakily peered out onto the deck from one of the windows, surveying the scene. Law was pretty sure all the seats were full, except for the two reserved ones in the front row of either side for their escorts which was good because he had been afraid that the odd start time of their ceremony would mean that people could be late but he had chosen right with selecting a global holiday for their wedding, meaning that most people had the whole day and the next off of work. 

The musicians were in their corner with Brook as their leader, wearing a black tailcoat suit with a blue cravat tied around his neck with light gray pants and a pearl white dress shirt. His violin was producing wonderful music, a lilting tune that sounded like spun rays of light. Amongst the other musicians there was Franky, strumming along on his guitar, wearing a light brown jacket that was stretched over his massive shoulders with a light blue bowtie and surprisingly gray-blue formal pants and brown dress shoes. With a raised eyebrow, Law murmured, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him wear pants before.”

“Well, it is a special occasion.” Sabo remarked, “I assumed your wedding had a dress code that at least included pants.”

Luffy understood his surprise, “Me too, they got married on a beach so he could wear a speedo.”

Cora snorted, “Are you serious?”

“He’s weird.”

The oldest of their four, sighed, “That’s family, isn’t it?”

Nami and Gladius left to begin their way up to the raised platform so they hurried to arrange themselves. Luffy was going to be on the left so when they came to face each other and hold hands, Law’s right arm would be toward the ocean instead of the audience, meaning that Sabo was on the furthermost left side. Rosinante was on the furthermost right side with Law on his left side.

There were two things that Law and Luffy had agreed upon from even before they had gotten engaged. The first was that neither one of them would go down the aisle if the other didn’t as well and when they couldn't agree on the order of walking, they had made Brocca measure out a middle aisle that could accommodate four grown men walking arm and arm. (Three of whom were over six feet tall.)

The second thing was that nowhere in the ceremony they would promise to obey each other, they both valued their freedom too much to ever agree to any kind of authority over each other. It wasn't something that was as common nowadays but it was important to them to get confirmation from their official that it wouldn’t be included. Their chosen official was none other than the former fleet admiral and current inspector general of the marines, Sengoku who had approval of both Rosinante and Garp to conduct the ceremony joining their two families.

When the song switched to a familiar melody, the orchestra jumped to about the three minute and thirty second mark of an aria that they both could recognize instantly. Luffy craned his head to look at Law, his jaw dropped and eyes glimmering with a mix of adoration and annoyance that Law strived to bring out in him if only to watch his partner get riled up, “I can’t believe you. I should have never let you choose the music by yourself, you are the biggest dork ever, I can’t believe I’m about to marry you.”

Sabo looked alarmed over his little brother’s words, “What is it?”

Rosinante cocked his head to try and listen better, more familiar with Law's tendencies, “Is this the ‘Phantom of the Opera’?”

“‘Music of the Night.’” Law informed, starting to walk them down the aisle, grinning as he held hands with Luffy, “It’s the song we had our first kiss to.”

“He serenaded me.” Luffy whispered to their escorts, “It was the sixteenth time we had watched the live stage recording. Don’t start singing now, I want to make it down the aisle smiling, not crying.”

“Deal.”

As they had approached, their guests had stood up in attention. Their wedding party had all managed to take their places and they were all smiling at them, their families were seated in the first two rows, a motley bunch with quite a few looking teary eyed. Luffy waved at a few people as they passed and Law exchanged smiling nods with others. It was all very beautiful, simultaneously exactly what he had dreamed of and better than he had ever imagined. 

It was as if the whole world had joined together in celebration. The sky was a bright blue, the ocean an endless space spread out beyond the bow of the ship, at this point you could see the moon, taking its place early in the sky and the sun was shining, not hidden from the clouds. The sea breeze caressed his cheeks as he walked, the winter air crisp in his lungs, making him feel alert, his senses expanded to feel everything happening in these precious moments. 

Sengoku was waiting for them at the edge of the raised platform, looking very dignified and stately in his suit. Only a few months ago, Law had been sitting in his office, nibbling on a rice cracker as he asked Garp for permission and now they were here, only scant minutes away from being married.

“You may be seated.” Sengoku was solemn as he asked, directed to Law, “Who gives this man away?”

“I do.” Cora gave Law a squeeze, grinning as he let go, stepping backwards to take a seat by his brother.

Sengoku looked towards Luffy, “And who gives this man away?” 

“I do.” Sabo said in a tight voice. He kissed Luffy’s forehead succinctly then moved to sit by his wife, who handed over a handkerchief.

“You may join hands.” They turned to face each other, taking each other's hands. Their hands were cold from the weather but all Law could feel was the steady warmth in Luffy’s palms as their fingers intertwined like they did so often, as if their hands were made to slot together. Just by looking at Luffy straight on, Law could cry. Law wasn’t going to cry. Law had two coats of mascara, and two different shades of eyeliner which he was seriously regretting at the moment and he wasn’t going to start crying, technically his mascara claimed it was waterproof but he didn’t want to test its validity at this second when there were a million photos being taken. 

“Welcome, family, friends and loved ones.” Sengoku began, “We are gathered here today, surrounded by the beauty of creation and nurtured by the sights and sounds of nature to celebrate the marriage of Trafalgar D Water Law and Monkey D Luffy. You have come from nearby and from far away, in all walks of life to share in this special moment, which is a testament to the power of these two men before me.” Luffy and Law shared a wide grin and Luffy looked at the front row of their audience to subtly stick his tongue out at his grandpa while Law wisely avoided eye contact. They had all sorts of criminals, warlords and revolutionaries mixed in with military officials, dignitaries, their coworkers and other more normal people they gathered along the way.

“They wish to take a moment to thank you for your presence here today in support of their decision to be married. They also remember other loved ones who cannot be here to share this moment with them today. Those people too, they hold dear in their hearts.” There were five lanterns hanging symbolically from their flowered arch, one for each of Law’s lost birth family, for Luffy’s birth mother and the brother that had died the day they met.

“Marriage is the promise between two people who love, trust and honor each other, and who wish to spend the rest of their lives together. It enables the two separate souls to share their desires, longings, dreams, and memories, their joys and sorrows, and to help each other through all uncertainties of life.” Just to get to the altar had been what felt like a trial run of the rest of their life, compressing so many emotions and events in such a short time. 

“A strong marriage also nurtures each of you as separate individuals and allows you to maintain your unique identity and grow in your own way through the years ahead. It is a safe haven for each of you to become your best self while together you become better than ever could be alone. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities and love. To make this relationship work, therefore, takes more than love.” Law knew that intimately, from the day Luffy had been coherent in the hospital Law knew that more than anything the young grieving man in the hospital bed foremost needed a friend and that is what he had been for over a year. “It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other. It takes dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so. And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both.”

“Look at one another and remember this moment in time.” Law was already memorizing every second, wishing he had more artistic talents so he could capture the look in Luffy’s eyes forever, commemorate it in a painting or a poem, something worthy enough for the wonder he was facing. 

“Soon you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this is my husband. Nothing is easier than standing here and saying these words, and nothing is more difficult than living them day to day. When you love someone, you do not love them all the time in exactly the same way. That is impossible. Yet that is what most of us expect. We forget the ebb and flow of life and of love and of relationships. We insist on permanence, on duration, on continuity. But in love, as in life, the only stability is in change, in growth, and in freedom. Therefore what you promise today must be renewed and reaffirmed tomorrow and all the tomorrows to come.” He was quite eloquent for a military man. Law didn’t think he had ever heard such true words about the struggles of real long lasting love and relationship enunciated. 

“Having considered all of these things, Law, do you promise to do your very best each day to create a loving, healthy, and happy marriage?” 

No hesitation, “Always.”

“Luffy, do you promise to do your very best each day to create a loving, healthy, and happy marriage?” 

“Yes.” He confirmed quietly, hands gripping Law’s tighter.

“Now, please declare your wedding vows to each other.”

Law was going first and he spoke clearly despite the emotions threatening to choke him, “A flower cannot live without sunshine and a man cannot live without love.” He quoted from the message he had written on their bathroom mirror a week ago, saying at the time he had seen it on the internet and had been inspired, instead of the real truth of wanting to gauge Luffy’s reaction to it before he wrote it officially into his vows, “Now I’m pretty sure that that expression wasn’t meant for this context but I am a man who cannot live without your love, and you are the sunshine that brightens my days. I spent a whole lot of my life planning ahead, going from one goal to another, however when I met you I realized the joy of spontaneity, so let’s agree to always do something crazy and keep each other in a perfect mix of sane and insanity.” He shifted into more traditional vows, “I promise from this day forward to share with you everything, no matter how insignificant or how monumental.” No more financial secrets, no more uneven distributions, just equal partnership. “To encourage you to grow as an individual, and hopefully inspire you to do so because I love who you are now and am so excited to love who you will be.” 

Now it was Luffy’s turn. There was a piece of paper clutched in his hand but he let it fall to his side unread. His eyes were bright, in both tears and love, so with a deep breath he started to speak, “I’ve lived a crazy life, but I can’t help but think that everything I went through led me to you.” With a slight laugh, “Literally, if I didn’t end up where I was and needed a doctor we may have never met.” His breath hitched, “And though I can’t think back on that day without pain. I also couldn’t think of my life without you, your care and support.” He looked at Law like the whole world was right there, like there was nothing left to be seen, declaring, “I love you, more than I could love myself. So I take you for now and for always, for that is everything I’ll ever need from you.” He sniffed, rushing out, “So thanks for agreeing to be with me forever and no take-backs, okay?”

“Okay.” Law agreed, fighting back from openly sobbing, tears running down his cheeks as he smiled.

Luffy composed himself quickly, to get to the more official part, “I promise to be grateful of our life, what we have, and be happy with this love we stumbled into. I promise to fill our life with adventure and our home with laughter, whether you want it or not!” Law chuckled at that last added part, his effervescent attitude that could never be conquered. 

Sengoku nodded, moving on to the next part of the ceremony, “Law, do you take Luffy to be your husband?”

He had been waiting to say these words for months, “I do.”

“Luffy, do you take Law to be your husband?” 

“Totally!” He blurted out then realized what he did and corrected himself, “I mean: I do!” 

Law and about three-fourths of the audience laughed outright. It was so like him to get over eager and mess up in the most iconic part of the whole ceremony. Law was still laughing when he got the ring box from Kid, who was laughing as well. Law reined himself in when Sengoku cleared his throat, sobering up to finish this ceremony. “Your wedding rings are a symbol of your promise to one another. It stays on your hand to show the world the never ending circle of committed love.” Sengoku turned to Law, as he pulled out the ring from the box, “Law, please place this ring on Luffy’s finger and repeat after me: This ring symbolizes my love for you and the commitments we made today.” 

Law repeated after him as directed, slipping the ring onto Luffy’s left hand ring finger, seeing how his engagement ring was situated on his middle finger to give the wedding band the closest place on the vein that went to the heart. It was an old wives tale, but he saw the symbolism in it, having their matching wedding bands take priority to his lone engagement ring, valuing their union. 

Luffy did the same for Law next, having gotten his ring box from Zoro, repeating as he slid the platinum and gold ring onto Law’s left hand ring finger, the one that was tattooed with an ‘E’. 

They had finally reached the conclusion, “You two have come here today of your own free will and as consenting adults in the presence of family and friends, to declare your love and commitment to each other.” This was it. Law’s heart was beating fast, thudding against the inside of his tattooed chest. “You have given and received a ring as a symbol of your promises.” His damned eyes were watering up again. “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you married.” Luffy had never been beaming wider. “You may seal your marriage with a kiss.” 

They both sobbed, as Luffy threw his arms around Law’s neck, drawing him down into the kiss that started their new life. The cheers that sounded moved them farther into tears, yells and applause from their separate and shared friends, their found families. They were joined in a recognized civil union, pledged together under the admission of the chosen representatives of their family and witnessed by over three hundred people. There was no going back now, no one could take him from Law as long as they lived.

Sengoku continued over the noise, voice warm in his blessing, “May these two find happiness in their matrimony. May they live faithfully together, may they ever remain compassionate. May their years be rich in the joys of life, and their days be long upon the earth.” 

Law and Luffy kept kissing, lost in the universe created by their love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favorite things they do in One Piece is when they do the around the world characters reactions, it really helps to make the story feel more close knit and remind you of the journey the crew has taken. Obviously at Luffy and Law's wedding, we'd get the same effect. 
> 
> Happy New Years everyone, we've got the crazy reception to tackle tomorrow.


	23. The Reception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was some smudging, yes, but he didn’t look like a man whose lover had left him for another man, or that he had been in some romcom and reached the emotional climax and had been out crying in the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Home by Maor  
> https://app.soundstripe.com/songs/7323 
> 
> Content Warnings: Mentioned death and depression

Eventually Law and Luffy managed to separate themselves long enough so that they could face their guests and start to walk back down the aisle together. There was a veritable downpour of flower petals in cream, white, and blue along with glittery silver mica and fragrant lavender buds as everyone threw their portioned cup’s contents into the air in jubilee. Law was pleased that they had found the company that made the biodegradable confetti so they wouldn’t have to worry about any environmental harms, because while slightly cliché, it was really pretty to have the petals falling down like multi colored snow around them.

Their wedding party followed them down the aisle in their pairs again and they went to the right of the foyer where they had hidden before the ceremony to regroup. The guests were going to get moved into the foyer for cocktails and when the reception hall was ready they would be let in to go and get their seats while they took photos outside on the deck. 

Law had gotten a tissue from Robin to try and clean up his face, looking into a mirror with anticipation of a disaster. Looks like the waterproof mascara had held up mostly. It wasn’t a terrible mess, some smudging, yes, but he didn’t look like a man whose lover had left him for another man, or that he had been in some romcom and reached the emotional climax and had been out crying in the rain. He dabbed the smudged makeup clean and got Kid to run to their suite to get his makeup bag since the man knew the importance of having a clean liquid line.

He was reapplying his under eye concealer when Luffy threw himself onto his shoulders from behind, clinging to his neck, “We’re married now.”

A lesser man might have stabbed himself in the eye or jerked in a way that smeared where it shouldn’t have but Law was a highly-decorated trained surgeon so his left hand remained steady as he did touch ups, “I know.”

“Like  _ married  _ married.” Luffy stressed as if Law wasn’t looking at his newly placed wedding band sparkle in the mirror reflection.

“That is normally what a marriage ceremony is for.”

Luffy’s eyes were wide when their gazes in the mirror, “I can’t believe it!”

Law turned to face him, “Is it a good ‘I can’t believe it’?”

Luffy pressed a kiss to his cheek, eyes doing that squinty thing Law loved, “It’s the best!”

Law did a very light second coat of his setting powder, touched up his lipstick again for the photos but intending on wiping it off before dinner began. The top deck was clear now and they went back to under the arch. They took photos for about ten minutes with the wedding party and the rest of their families before it was time to go inside themselves. 

Since the reception was taking place just inside of where the ceremony had been held there wasn’t a need to have a huge entrance with fanfare, though they did have Apoo introduce them as they walked in arm and arm. 

The reception hall was decorated from floor to ceiling: the dark wood floors had been waxed, the hanging spiral crystal chandeliers had been polished, the whole wall of windows had been washed. They had cloud lights strung around the whole ceiling’s length, realistic looking LED powered ones that could change colors or be set to specific ones. Right now they were casting the whole hall in gold to match the setting sunlight that was streaming through the windows. 

The band and the DJ booth were set up to the left side, near the entrance leading to the kitchen which was producing heavenly smells at this point as dinner was going to begin in a few minutes. The dessert table had been set up next to the corner bar that was staffed with no less than seven bartenders to work from cocktail hour throughout the end of the reception after midnight. 

The thirty round tables were arranged in a half circle around the dance floor, draped in white tablecloths with ten black wood chairs positioned around it, the large flower box that had lined the aisle now as the centerpiece surrounded by a ring of different sized flameless candles- the most realistic looking ones Law could find, regardless of the cost. Each place was set with a dark blue charger, four glasses and all the silverware needed for the dinner placed on a white cloth napkin. On top of each charger were the individually potted blue bird echeverias that served as both the place cards and party favors.

Instead of having the guests search every table for their name, they had two large identical 36x24 inch silver frames, which they had taken the backs and glass out to hang fifteen smaller silver frames in various shapes and decorations inside. Each smaller frame had the names of the ten people at each table, placed at the entryway of the reception hall next to the gift table that was already overflowing with a mound of presents. Once the wedding was over they were going to take those frames to hang in their house, inserting pictures that had been taken throughout the day as another memento. Everyone had been seated at this point and their wedding party took their seats at the three respective tables they were assigned to. 

Their sweetheart table was situated at the front of it all, beyond the dance floor and close to the band so they could be afforded some privacy while they ate. It was beautiful, a rectangular table draped in a white tablecloth, with the front covered in bunches of white roses, larkspur and nigellas, stephanotis blossoms, delphiniums threaded with jack frost flowers, leaves and seeded eucalyptus with the same place settings and flameless candles as the other tables. It was seated in front of a large high-back white loveseat instead of traditional chairs, flanked on either side by a large urn planter made of solid white gray stone with the same flower arrangement. 

A server handed them both a glass of champagne while another gave them a microphone so that they could make their welcome remarks. Law took a sip of his glass to wet his mouth, while Luffy took the microphone from him to say, “Hi!” 

Law nudged his arm so that the microphone was between the two of them, “Well, now that I’ve stopped crying we can get started. I’ll keep this short. We’ve got dinner, drinks and dancing-”

“And cupcakes!” Luffy interjected.

“Yes,” Law agreed, “Please, enjoy yourselves. The ship launches at eight thirty so if you don’t wish to stay out till past midnight we completely understand and will take this time to thank the staff of the Salamander, Brocca and the rest of her team. Thanks to all of our friends whose talents we’ve exploited to make this day possible as well as our incredible vendors for being so flexible and accommodating.” 

Luffy took over then, “A huge shoutout to Doffy for paying for all of this and to the rest of our families for supporting us, to and through this day. Both of us were raised and loved by so many people throughout the years and it’s really exciting to be able to join all of those people together through our marriage and I’m super stoked to see what happens next.”

Law took over again to finish, “And of course, a big thank you to each and every one of you for sharing our special day with us. As we’ve shown, weddings can happen anywhere and at any time, but it could only be a true celebration when all the people we love are there to share it with us. You have made our day all that more special. We’ll be around soon to mingle but until then please enjoy your meal and leave us alone to enjoy ours, else you fear the wrath of my husband.”

There was a resounding laughter at the final comment as Luffy rolled his eyes but didn’t negate the statement. It was just now five o’clock but Law was sure Luffy hadn’t eaten like he normally did and would be hungry. They sat down on their loveseat, with Luffy taking care to make sure his longer train wasn’t going to bunch up beneath him, arranging the fabric to flow onto the cushion before he started to sit. Law felt his breath stutter again, “Have I told you how gorgeous you are?” 

Luffy laughed as he sat down, starting to push his sleeves up so he could eat, “Several times today, you keep getting this look in your eye.”

“It’s because I’m entranced by your beauty.” Law responded, rolling his sleeves up as well. “It compels me to verbally confess.” Two servers came to their table to pour a sauvignon blanc into their white wine glasses to go with their hors d'oeuvres. 

Luffy grinned at the two plates and a basket that was put in front of them, “Try to keep your compulsions to yourself because I barely ate at lunch and no one let me have any of the canapes and as much I love you this bread smells amazing.” 

Law chuckled to himself, “You can eat it if you want, I have some oatcakes to keep me busy.” Sanji had made three different kinds of bread for each table: a baguette made of olive flour, sea salt and rosemary focaccia and a ciabatta loaf scored with a leaf pattern. He had made a special order of oatcakes for Law which were thin and crispy enough that he could enjoy them without his bread complex kicking in. Luffy was very delighted to have a whole bread basket for himself and Law started to eat his hors d'oeuvre which were three pancetta wrapped shrimp with a sweet potato mash. It was light yet flavorful, a perfect way to start their meal.

Luffy and Law talked throughout their whole meal, watching their guests dine and deciding the best way to make their rounds to the tables when they finished eating. The second course was a salad, full of spinach, kale caramelized walnuts and goat cheese, drizzled with a tangy vinaigrette. Law had chosen salad over soup in hopes to make sure their meal didn’t become too heavy or filling. 

There were three options for the main entrée, Sanji had said that pasta was one of the best bets for serving such a large group since he could make the dough ahead of time and it would only take a few minutes to cook when it was time to serve. There was the vegetarian option, alla checca which was spaghetti with tomato, shallots, basil, fried tomatoes and olive oil. Tordelli lucchese, pork and beef filled parcels with a hearty meat sauce which was Luffy’s choice. Lastly, there was spaghetti alle vongolepollo with clams, garlic and white wine that Law had gotten. They sampled each other's dishes, enjoying each other’s company in the simplistic free flowing way they spent most of their time together, intensely familiar with each other’s lives that nothing was a surprise yet still finding ways to delight and entertain each other. 

As soon as they finished their dinner, the next course was served to their table alone, a cucumber sorbet that only had three bites full in its crystal glass to use as a palate cleanser. The others would get it as scheduled in twenty minutes but Luffy and Law consumed it in preparation for their rounds to the tables.

Their first visit was to the two tables that belonged to Law’s family since Luffy’s family wouldn’t mind waiting while they thanked their generous benefactor. Doflamingo was wearing a three-piece suit that was pitch black only interrupted by a white tie and his pink feather coat as if he was in mourning instead of celebration. Law could understand his point of view, his public union with Luffy meant that things would be harder to ignore or cover up which was a deliberating blow to future plans that included Law. Law couldn’t find himself to care about future logistics with how happy he was in the present moment. He presented his new husband to his family grandly, practically preening as he basked in the glow of the man he loved who talked eagerly with his new collective family-in-law with Cora beaming at him the whole time. 

They went to the tables with Luffy’s family next, the eight members of the regular family along with Vivi and Jinbei at one, though Sanji hadn’t sat down yet, and another containing his more traditional family. 

Law almost had his ribs crushed by Garp when they were both swept into a hug, got fussed over by both of Luffy’s foster mothers while Koala squealed with Luffy. He shook hands with Sengoku again, thanking the man for the beautiful ceremony. Luffy finished with his squealing and fidgeted, looking at the empty seat at the table, “Where’s Dad?”

Sabo looked around the room, “I don’t know. He was here earlier.” 

“Don’t worry, honey,” Ivankov soothed, “You know how your father gets around crowds, especially such a high profile one.” He added with a wink towards Sengoku, who looked flustered.

“We’ll be lucky to make it through the night without a fight with this bunch.” Inazuma remarked, glancing at the surrounding tables with a sip of their wine. Dadan nodded in agreement over a sip of hers.

Makino looked worried, bouncing her son on her lap, “You don’t think someone will try to start a fight on purpose?”

Luffy surveyed their guests with his hands on his hips, a flattering image that Law’s eyes were drawn to greedily, “I dare them to, I already said that I’d throw anyone off this ship who started screwing around.” He grinned sideways at Law, always ready for a rumble, “You got your scalpel?”

“Strapped to my thigh in its holster.” Law answered, patting his left thigh, explaining, “It wouldn't fit in my boots.”

Luffy giggled with a shake of his head, “I like the boots.”

“You do? I thought they were nice too, I’m ready to start dancing in them.”

“After we make our rounds. And dessert!”

“Of course. Got to sugar up before we shake it.”

“As for my idiot son,” Garp began, “I’m sure he’ll turn up again once dinner is over.”

“Okay.” Luffy’s face still had a pinched look so Law put a hand around his waist comfortingly, “We gotta go say hi to other people.”

“We better get ready for his speech.” Koala said in return, patting Sabo’s arm.

“Looking forward to it,” Law teased, “I hear you’re quite eloquent, Chief.” Sabo stuck his tongue out at Law in an oh-so-eloquent response which meant they were all laughing as they walked away.

They circulated around the tables quickly, giving hugs and handshakes as they made their way around the room, chatting with old friends, extended family and colleagues. Soon though they were back at their table and seated with more champagne as the two toasts began, one from each side: Sabo for a more sincere, traditional one and Kid to perform his best man duties in his typical crude fashion. Law had attempted to get Kid to not launch into profanity or a lewd story, begging Killer to intervene and proofread the speech. Killer had assured Law he had done his best and Law was wishing he had gotten Penguin or Shachi to do the speech instead.

“I’m sorry but who the hell thought these two would be the first ones in our friend group to get married! Are you fucking serious?!” Law buried his face in his hands while Luffy cackled.

Kid made quite a sight, standing there in his kilt with a glass of scotch in his flesh hand while his metal arm gestured wildly, “I could write a whole list of reasons why no one thought we’d be at this wedding, but those two never seem to listen to anyone anyway, stubborn bastards. Except for each other, I guess, if you’ve seen them when they really get going back and forth, it’s obvious how they do so well as a couple.” He faced them with a twinkle in his eyes, surprisingly heartfelt, “You two are amazing, together and apart. You give people hope, you save their lives. Here’s hoping the rest of your life together will be just as great as your beginning.” He hoisted his glass high in a call that was echoed by everyone else, “Cheers!”

Law gave him a hug, shaking his head with fondness at his ex turned best friend, “You’re something else, Eustass-ya.”

Kid shot him a grin, “You couldn’t imagine living life without me, Trafalgar.”

Sabo took the microphone next, beginning with a soft smile, “When we were little kids, Luffy was always getting into trouble, he didn’t know how to pick his fights, or keep his mouth shut and he always thought he could take on the world, -which he still does to this day, he’s way better at punching now- but we worried about him, so Ace and I made a pact.” Sabo paused for a moment but his smile didn't falter, “We said that we would always protect him and do our best to make sure he was safe and happy, and though we may have failed once or twice, there have always been incredible people who love him enough to pick up the slack.” He bowed slightly, “You all have my deepest thanks for that. I now, officially, extend that pact to you, Law: keep him safe and happy and sit back and watch as he works his magic. To my little brother and his new husband, I love you both. Cheers!” 

Luffy hugged his brother tightly, receiving a kiss on his cheek and whispered words in his ear that Law wasn’t privy to. With the speeches over, it was time for Law and Luffy to have their [first dance](https://app.soundstripe.com/songs/7323).

As they took their places on the empty dance floor, the chandeliers turned off, leaving only the flameless candles on the tables as lights along with the cloud lights that shifted colors, changing into deep purples and light blues that transformed the whole hall into an ethereal wash while the night sky shone through the windows. 

They had choreographed their first dance with Pascia, it wasn’t as exhibitionist as Law had originally planned when they first started their dance lessons but the combination of him getting an arm chopped off plus their song choice meant that they had taken a more subdued approach with placed spins and twirls though mostly basic footwork. They were supposed to start dancing from the beginning of the song yet when Law heard it start, he turned away from the dance floor to walk towards the wall of windows to open up one of the double doors letting the sea breeze come in. 

“ _ One door opens while another one closes _

_ That's how it always goes _

_ One heart's breaking while another one is mending _

_ It's all in the ebb and flow” _

Luffy stood beside him as they breathed in the fresh air. The moon was hanging luminously in the night sky, an inky black only broken up by distant stars. The sea had turned into a calm dark blue, stretching out to the horizon just like their future.

“ _ If I had to, I could go alone.. _

_ But I don’t ever need to _

_ Because I have a home _

_ Someone to run to” _

Still hanging from their wedding arch on the top deck were the five lanterns, their lights continuing to burn bright as they watched over where the ship was heading.

_ “I could live alone in the woods _

_ Not a single sound that I would _

_ Never feel alone _

_ Because you've become my home _ ”

He looked over to Luffy, his husband, to ask as he offered up his left hand where his wedding band was shining in the dim light, “Care to dance?”

Luffy smiled, taking his hand up, “I thought you’d never ask.”

With thinking about all the people watching, Law fell into the rhythm of the song, picking up where they should have been already, using his left hand to guide Luffy through a counterclockwise turn so they could come back chest to chest. 

“ _ These windows could shatter to the ground _

_ These walls could fall like down _

_ The lights could all burn out _

_ Because this house is not my home” _

They began to do a subdued waltz, spinning around each other in a large circle, lost in the gravity created between the two of them.

_ “Crumble into dust _

_ I don't need that much _

_ I don't need to roam _

_ Because you've become my home” _

This next part was when the lyrics really started to hit Law, emotions welling up when they came to the lyrics that made him want to choose this song in the first place, how he met Luffy on the worst day of his life and nothing had ever been the same. 

“ _ One step forward follows one step backwards _

_ That's what it takes to grow _

_ One life lived is another that's just starting _

_ That's just the way it goes” _

He leaned forward, almost dropping to one knee as he lowered himself enough to look up at Luffy, catch the gaze of his tear filled eyes, wrapping his arms around his husband to draw him close and sing along, his voice choked, 

“ _ If I had to, I could go alone.. _

_ But I don’t ever need to _

_ Because I have a home _

_ Someone to run to” _

They swayed together, too wrapped up in each other to do anything else, kissing the tears from each other’s eyes.

_ “I could live alone in the woods _

_ Not a single sound that I would _

_ Never feel alone _

_ Because you've become my home _ ”

Luffy started them off this time, bringing Law into a sweeping circle, doing the dance they had done a million times in the kitchen and anywhere else throughout their days where their bodies weaved together like they were made for it. 

“ _ These windows could shatter to the ground _

_ These walls could fall like down _

_ The lights could all burn out _

_ Because this house is not my home” _

A little give and take, that was one part Law’s long stride and one part Luffy’s quick steps, composed of the way Law’s deft hands moved with purpose and Luffy’s strong arms held him tight, the fabric of their clothes swishing around them as they danced.

_ “Crumble into dust _

_ I don't need that much _

_ I don't need to roam _

_ Because you've become my home” _

Luffy spun him this time, following it up with a dip that Law leaned back into it, completely trusting his husband to catch him, one leg artfully lifting off the ground, his arms around Luffy’s neck. 

“ _ Because you've become my home _ ”

They leaned towards each other so their foreheads were touching, eyes half closed as they breathed each other in, not even needed to kiss to feel each other’s love.

“ _ You've become my home _ ”

“ _ You’ve become my home _ ”

The song faded off and Luffy leaned forward to let Law get both feet on the ground again and stand upright. There was probably someone making an announcement in the background, people moving, the band starting to play but Law’s whole universe had narrowed to the feeling of Luffy’s fingers stroking his cheekbones, their lips pressed against each other as they swayed unhurriedly to whatever music was playing. 

Some time later, they came back to the real world, the dance floor crowded with others dancing to the band that had transitioned from slow songs gradually to upbeat swing music. They removed themselves from the dance floor to do more mingling with their guests. 

Luffy lit up at the sight of someone, Law had only heard tales of but had never met in person, “Shanks! You came!” He paused mid-step, hands flying to his neck, “I don’t have to give the hat back, do I?”

A tanned, scarred man laughed, “No, you hold on to it for a while longer.”

“Great!” Luffy exclaimed, throwing himself into the man’s one armed embrace, “It’s been such a long time. You haven’t met Traffy yet, he’s my husband and a surgeon!”

Law got Shanks’ undivided attention when Luffy moved next into the arms of a gray haired man, “Well, aren’t you a handsome one! And a surgeon, so smart too, our little Anchor got lucky!”

He smiled back politely, “Thank you but truly I consider myself the lucky one. It’s nice to meet you in person, after I’ve already heard so much about you.”

Shanks grinned sheepishly, “He always thought I hung the moon, I see he hasn’t grown out of it too much.”

“It’s difficult to do so when you admire a person so much.” Law said truthfully, “I think you’ve done more than enough to deserve it.”

“I like you!” Shanks crowed, patting him on the back, “Let’s get a drink and you can tell me how you two met.”

“He saved me!” Luffy chimed, dragging the older man he was with over as well, “He saved my life, just like you did Shanks! Isn’t that crazy?”

“They weren’t the exact same circumstances.” Law corrected, having heard the story of Shanks’ lost arm before.

“The circumstances don’t matter,” Shanks argued with a gentle smile, “It’s the intentions behind them and if he thinks they’re the same, it tells me a lot about the kind of person you are.” 

Law hummed as Luffy threaded their fingers together, “Let’s hope I continue to live up to those expectations.”

Sanji found them then, beckoning them to follow him to the dessert table so they could start passing out desserts. Law didn’t know where in between the ordering of three hundred and sixty cupcakes- a hundred and twenty of each kind with plenty of extras- and the present moment that Sanji had decided to go crazy but the chef most certainly had become insane because no one in their right mind would have done more work than they had to for theoretically the same price. At this point he was just going to have to write Sanji a blank check and give it to him with the instructions to cash it for whatever he thought his time, energy, labor and total cost of goods was worth. 

Their cupcakes were all there, arranged on a four tiered stand, the salted caramel cupcakes topped with caramel drizzle and popcorn, the vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream topped with different types of chocolate covered strawberries and Law’s black truffle with cream cheese frosting topped with a honey chocolate truffle. There was also a 6x4 inch round cake on the top of the stand to be used as a ceremonial cake to cut which was completely unnecessary but appreciated, especially since it was intricately decorated to look like the flower arrangement on their sweetheart table resting on a black background. That was only the centerpiece of the table, surrounding it were all sorts of confections: trays full of chocolate truffles, chocolate covered strawberries as well as other fruit, petite macarons, various types of sweet popcorn, trifles, cake pops, handmade candy included salt water taffy and licorice. “Did you go mad?” 

Sanji shrugged, looking worn but elated, “I haven’t slept in three days so maybe, honestly it became a blur around the fifty hour mark.”

“I will offer you any amount of money to go to sleep,” Law began, “Seriously, I know that you said that this was something that you had to do to enjoy yourself but I am offering anything. It’s his money so go buy some strong drugs to knock you out or some expensive tea to do the same thing. Do you want me to make someone disappear, because I will do that for you, I will send the whole fucking kitchen staff from our place so you can take a few days off.”

“I appreciate it,” Sanji rubbed a hand through his hair, “I actually might just take you up on the offer at the end of the night.” Law didn’t ask what part of the offer he was interested in taking since he was dead serious about doing anything the chef wanted in a show of his appreciation. “It’s a marbled cake stacked with cream cheese frosting and frosted with a dark chocolate ganache so it’s not overly sweet, with edible sugar paper that I had your flowers printed on. Looks nice and tastes better than useless fondant, quicker to work with too. Someone told me it was the type of cake you had at your engagement evening, I figured it should make an appearance at your wedding.”

Luffy hugged his favorite cook in excitement, “Oh, it’s perfect, Sanji!” 

“It’s too much.” Law added, in awe of the tiniest details that were on the cake’s exterior.

Sanji tossed his head, seeming nonplussed about their gratitude. “It’s a small cake.”

“It means something.” Law stressed sincerely. 

His single visible eye met Law’s, twisting with fondness, “Yeah, I guess it does.” 

The crowd gathered around them as they cut the cake together, placing a small piece on a plate that Luffy very quickly picked up. Law started to back away from his husband hesitantly, saying desperately, “These suits are the most expensive clothes we own so let’s be careful. Hawkins spent a lot of time making these.” Luffy’s eyes were sparkling deviously, prompting Law to continue hurriedly, “Rephrase, please don’t smear my face with cake.” 

Luffy lunged and Law shot his longer left arm out to grab his husband's wrist so he could control the speed at which the cake came flying to his face. He wasn’t able to stop it completely and a fistful of cake was smashed into his lips, getting into his goatee, messily. It was sweet and tangy, moist with a light crumb, perfect like everything else Sanji made. He managed to keep it off his clothes, which he considered a victory as Luffy shrieked, giggling in delight, “Take that!” 

Such actions couldn’t go without retaliation and Law got his own hand around a fistful, he faked Luffy out with a movement to the left then quickly changed to come at him from the right, shoving the clutched handful onto his husband’s lips, chin and right cheek. They cleaned up, licking their fingers and dabbing at the mess with wetted napkins. They started to pass out cupcakes and dessert to other people and Law grabbed one of the truffle cupcakes to eat while Luffy got a plate loaded high with goodies. 

Not long after it was time for the ship to launch from the docks and head out to sea so they could experience the upcoming fireworks at a distance and kick the celebration up a few notches in noise and intensity. Most people were staying but some of their older guests were leaving, taking the total number of guests to around two hundred and sixty. 

Luffy stood on the band’s stage with a cupcake in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other that he hoisted high in the air, his tie loosed and his flower crown perched on top of his straw hat that was nestled in his hair, “This is not only the day I get married but it’s also the last day of the year, so let’s party tonight and let those wedding bells ring in the new year!” The remaining crowd cheered and Apoo started blasting music as the cloud lights began to pulse with different colors to the beat. 

The ceremony was finished and the formal reception was over, meaning that the real party was about to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I had someone like Sanji to show their love by making an insane amount of desserts.
> 
> We've still got some events, conversations and interactions to get through so we'll finish up the wedding tomorrow.


	24. The Wedding Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They couldn’t have been taking photos for more than thirty minutes when they returned into the reception hall but upon their reentry Law’s jaw dropped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a POV switch at the break in the chapter 
> 
> Content Warnings: Mentioned death and depression, slight panic attack, semi-graphic anal and oral sex

The party had definitely gone into overdrive, with the overhead lights dimmed and the clouds pulsing, the dance floor crowded as club music played with beach balls with LEDs in them getting knocked around, glow stick jewelry having been handed out, everyone drinking heavily and eating dessert. The night had shifted its attention away from being all about Law and Luffy and gone into more of a normal New Year’s Party which was fine because it allowed them to mingle about and dance at their leisure.

After another hour or so, they snuck outside with the wedding party to do more official photos with the night sky and the ocean behind them, the top deck having been strung with edison lights in preparation for the party moving out there later. 

The temperature had dropped when the sun did, meaning it was far colder than their wedding out on the deck earlier but they had brought their new coats with them so they were wrapped up in thick furs and feathers as they posed for shots. They couldn’t have been taking photos for more than thirty minutes when they returned into the reception hall but upon their reentry Law’s jaw dropped.

It looked like a circus had exploded inside, silks hanging from the ceiling rigging, the band and Apoo standing at the ready to accompany the show, the dance floor having been cleared to make room for padded mats and performers, moving platforms and trampolines in position along with confetti cannons that shot off when they reentered. There were probably thirty people that had changed and were working the crowd as they warmed up and holy shit, was that a green and purple _lion_? There was a whole other round of food making its way around, themed food for the new entertainment, courtesy of the crazed Sanji which indicated this was a coordinated takeover plan. He had no idea how they had managed to pull this off without him knowing, wondering how deep the conspiracy went to achieve such a large maneuver. Judging by Cora’s mischievous smile from across the room, he knew, but Law knew his pseudo-father so it wasn’t totally his doing or else Law would have managed to pry the secret out of him. 

“Who are these dudes?!” Kid asked with a snorted laugh. 

Luffy groaned, “My coworkers.” 

Law gasped, “How the fuck did they get a lion on the ship?!” Something else caught his eye, “When did they have time to hang aerial silks?” 

“I’m going to kill those losers.” Luffy snarled, he stormed off, heeled boots clicking on the wooden floor. Law could just barely hear his yelling over the excitement going around, “What are you doing?!” 

Buggy, who had actually looked moderately respectable up to this point had changed into his usual big-top outfit, “It’s a flashy party! You know we don’t go anywhere without putting on a show!” 

Luffy tossed his hands in the air, “Who even invited all of you?” 

Nami was cackling wickedly and Zoro was laughing louder than Law had ever heard him, leaning up against each other for support while they watched Luffy flip out which seemed to be part of their plan. Luffy whirled on his heel, narrowing his eyes at them, “You two!” 

The two masterminds started laughing even harder and Law shook his head. He had heard that the trio had met at the circus but he didn’t expect them to do something this crazy for the sake of nostalgia. Luffy turned to him, demanding, “Did you know about this?”

Law held up his hands in surrender, “I think I signed a check. They didn’t tell me what for but I didn’t ask so I guess that’s on me. I didn’t realize their surprise was going to be so extravagant.”

Luffy groaned again, “I can’t believe this. I knew they were going to try something but I didn’t think they’d hire my coworkers to put on a show or I would have stopped them. I didn’t want our wedding to be a joke.”

“I don’t think it’s a joke,” Law soothed, wrinkling his brow as he corrected, “I mean, it _was_ a joke but it was meant as a tease between siblings, not anything cruel, no one is making fun of us, they’re just trying to the night memorable in their own special ways.” He nudged Luffy’s hip with his own, continuing, “As far as the circus thing goes, it’s fine, that stuff is trendy. I think it’s fun, it’s good entertainment, it’s definitely unique which suits us. They must have done the logistics with Brocca and snuck all of this stuff onboard before we arrived.”

Luffy gave a resigned sigh, taking Law’s hand so they could head to their sweetheart table, “At least Sanji made more popcorn, I bet I can throw it at them if they get close enough.”

Law chuckled, kissing the back of his hand as they walked, “You do that.”

The table they had eaten at had been moved to the side, leaving the loveseat with a good view of the action and more accessible with two end tables placed on either side so they could place their drinks. There was a new cocktail out for the performance, a large martini glass with a tuft of cotton candy in it which the servers poured champagne over to make the spun sugar dissolve. It was incredibly sweet and Law set it aside and ordered a vodka martini while Luffy asked for another serving sans champagne, eating the cotton candy straight out of the glass. A selection of the late night food had been brought to them as well, paper bags full of different types of popcorn, four types of soft pretzels both sweet and savory and a bunch of candy. Luffy pulled his status as groom for the first time in the evening, making the kitchen staff pop a batch of popcorn that remained unsalted and unbuttered so he could chuck it at Buggy, Alvida, Mohji, Cabaji and Galdino whenever they passed by which amused Law to no end. 

Law had been curious to see what kind of circus acts that could be performed with a lack of larger rigging and equipment but they put on quite a show, doing floor acrobatics, pyramids, routines with the trampolines, aerial silks and quite memorably twenty-five foot flexible sticks that two members carried, one on each end, holding it parallel so another performer could use it as a russian bar. They dragged Luffy out onto the floor with them to use as audience participation in an act and about half of Luffy’s family tables fell out of their chairs with how hard they were laughing at Luffy’s continued pouting scowl directed their way.

After the show wrapped up, people kept talking as they converted the dance floor back, Luffy and Law had remained sitting and some guests came up to them to talk, including Jinbei, Shakky and Rayleigh, all who had been with the two of them during their first days together. Bartolomeo had gushed over Luffy until Cavendish dragged him away with a roll of his eyes, a similar occurrence happening with Koby and Helmeppo though a bit more subdued and heartfelt. Marco came over with Izou, each giving Luffy a long hug and shaking Law’s hand before they talked animatedly. Mansherry and Leo had greeted them shyly, hesitant until Law had grabbed them with a hand each to drag them onto the dance floor. 

As the midnight hour approached they started to gear up for the count, passing out glow sticks and warm hot chocolate, hot toddies and mulled wine as they moved out to the top deck. The countdown happened without a hitch, with Law and Luffy kissing to photo flashes as the new year began, elated to have completed their goal of beginning the year as a married couple. Fireworks were going off in the distance by the shore, their bright colors illuminating the night sky yet far enough away that the sound couldn't be heard which sometimes could set Luffy off. 

All around them others were celebrating, laughing and toasting as they shared new year’s resolutions and danced to the music Apoo was still pumping from the reception hall. Sabo had chosen that particular moment to whisk Luffy away, so the two brothers danced together as the birthday of their lost third began. 

Koala came over to dance with Law offering to keep him company while Luffy was occupied. They swayed together for a few minutes before she asked, “Did you do this on purpose? Choosing this date.” 

Law looked over at their dancing spouses with a slight sigh, “It was one part impatience to get married, one part coincidence on the timing, and, yes, partly on purpose.” Koala followed his gaze to the two brothers with the same secondhand sympathy, “He always loved Christmas but he got sad afterwards, I wasn’t doing it to force him to be happy but I thought it would be nice if I gave him one last thing to celebrate before the new year started. I mean, every year after now we’re going to be marking whole years spent together, going on vacations, reveling in our love, its adventures and triumphs. I can’t save him from September but maybe I could make January alright. Do you think that’s wrong?”

“No.” Koala assured, drawing him into a hug to whisper in his ear, “It isn’t.” 

* * *

The fireworks were more sporadic now, causing most people to go back inside where it was warm to keep eating and dancing as the ship turned around to start heading back to the docks. Law had been dragged back inside with his siblings to dance but Luffy lingered on the top deck, leaning against the railing, wrapped in his fur coat to shield him from the cold, twisting Ace’s bracelet around his wrist absently as he stared out onto the ocean, watching the moonlight reflected on the water. 

Ace was supposed to be twenty-three today if he hadn’t been killed over two years ago. They should have been celebrating his birthday with their tradition of brunch and birthday presents, Luffy should have been competing with Sabo to see who could text him first at the stroke of midnight, a twofer of ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘Happy New Year’. Instead there was a gaping hole torn in his chest and a void in his life that would never be filled.

Ace was supposed to have been there today to hold Luffy’s hand, to help Sabo tease Law with veiled threats during their speech, to have lost his dress shirt sometime in the evening despite the below freezing temperature, to have laughed and danced but he had been stolen away from them. He had been taken from Luffy devastatingly on the same day that he met his now husband. They had never gotten to meet and that was a bitter fact that would tear at Luffy’s soul for the rest of his life. 

He stared at the lantern representing his brother hanging from the flower arch, the flickering flame still burning after several hours from behind its paper shutter, swaying in the breeze. He thought about the four other people who couldn’t be there with them today then thought about all the people who were able to be with them, the showering of love and support from basically everyone he knew, the care and effort that had gone into making the whole day amazing, the incredible man that he had sworn his life to, wiped tears from his eyes as he smiled out onto the world. 

“You look very beautiful tonight.”

He turned to face the man whom the smooth voice belonged to, recognizing it even though he had only heard it a few times before in his life, “Dad.”

His father was dressed in a dark suit with a green cloak around his shoulders, his long black hair swaying in the sea breeze. “Your husband seems kind, so do your friends. The ceremony was nice too.”

Luffy couldn’t help the question that bubbled out of his throat, “Why are you here?”

His father didn’t seem affronted, “Unless it was a mistake, I received an invitation and it is your wedding day.” 

“Sabo bullied you into coming.”

“And Iva, Koala, Robin, Ina, Hack, and Betty. They were all very pushy.”

“They’re good people.”

“Yes, they are. Crazy but good.”

“You gotta be crazy to take on the world government.”

“I suppose.”

Luffy fiddled with the wedding band now officially placed on his finger, “Well, cool to meet you finally, for longer than a minute.” 

“Yes.” He agreed as they stood there looking at the ocean.

Luffy glanced at the party still going on, they would start to miss him soon, “You can come back in, if you want, we’ve got tons of food left.” 

His father made no motion of movement, “I’m alright out here.” 

Luffy breathed in, then exhaled slowly, turning to leave, “I’m just gonna-“ 

“Your mother would be proud of you.”

Luffy froze at the quiet admission, nobody knew anything about his mother, not him, not even his grandpa. 

His dark eyes were the same mix of colors that Luffy’s were, “For marrying someone you love, despite everything.” 

“Everything.” Luffy repeated, wondering what he meant: him growing up basically an orphan, passed around by caretakers, struggling through school and finding his place in the world, coming to terms with his identity, dealing with his big brother’s death, ignoring Law’s family history despite the knowledge that it would come back to bite him one day. Luffy debated whether or not to ask yet couldn’t help himself, “Am I like her?” 

The answer that came was like a riddle, “More than you know, less than I think.” With that his father fell quiet again, gazing at the hanging lanterns.

Luffy mulled the words over for a second but knowing he wouldn’t receive any further answers, he went back inside. 

They arrived at the docks soon after, where they were going to make their grand exit. The gangplank was lowered so that their guests could line up on either side with cool burn sparklers for them to walk through as they headed to their rented chauffeured car, a black 1957 Bentley S1 that had ‘Just Married’ written on the back window along with a floral garland on the bumper. 

They waved goodbye to everyone with Luffy blowing kisses as they got into the vehicle, continuing to wave as they drove away, heading back to their house after a long day with a box Sanji had shoved into Law’s hands. Their families were going to stay behind to gather up the decorations they were keeping, the presents along with whatever leftovers there were to bring them to the house the following morning. 

Bepo and Polar met them at the door and Law, now that their wedding was officially over, was uncaring of the white fur that got on him as he dropped to his knees so both of the pets could climb on him. 

They both got water from the kitchen, leaving their flower crowns on the island top before slumping onto the couch, exhausted from the day’s events. Luffy untied the laces of Law’s leather boots, freeing him of the four inch heels for the first time in almost twelve hours, thankful of his own choice of a chunkier heel as he undid his own black ribbon laces, though that hadn’t stopped his own feet from starting to hurt in the last two hours. He kicked his boots off, curling his legs up on the couch, “That was fun but I’m glad we don’t have to do it again.”

Law hummed in agreement, tipping his head against the couch cushions, “Once was enough, now we get to reap the rewards for the rest of our lives.” He tugged at his tie, undoing the knot, “So you ready to consummate our marriage?” Luffy snorted, prompting Law to continue, “You know: get it on, go to town, jump each other’s bones, general copulation.”

Luffy leaned his chin on an open palm, “How many other phrases for sex can you come up with?” 

Law’s eyes were snapping with deviousness, “How many do you want to hear? Cause technically I have all night and quite an impressive vocabulary. Although I must confess that I have been envisioning taking those clothes off you from the moment I saw you in them.” 

Luffy reached over to start working at the buttons of Law’s vest coyly, “I’ve been thinking the same about you.”

Law ran his fingers down the side of Luffy’s face, “Then I propose we move this up to the bedroom.” Luffy felt a flutter in his stomach, nodding in agreement. Law stood up with a stretch before he reached his arms out for Luffy. 

Luffy shifted to the edge of the couch, wrapped his arms around Law’s neck which made it easy for Law to pick him up in strong arms. He wrapped his legs around Law’s hips to get more leverage, kissing at Law’s lips messily for a moment then Law was moving, carrying him up the stairs. 

He tossed Luffy onto the bed to make him shriek with laughter, bracketing him on the bed with his longer body, lean limbs pinning him into place to push him into the mattress. Luffy swatted at his chest playfully, latching his fingers around the white tie. Law accepted the pull Luffy gave, leaning down to kiss Luffy tenderly. Luffy undid the tie quickly as Law shrugged off his jacket, before turning attention to Luffy’s clothes. Luffy braced one hand on Law’s left shoulder as he worked, using the other hand to unbutton Law’s vest and dress shirt, scrabbling to take it off and get access to the tanned skin that was underneath. 

They maneuvered him out of his suit jacket, he helped Law get out of his last two layers, his chest displayed in its tattooed glory. Law began placing nipping kisses against the underside of his jaw, practically manhandling him to work at the buttons of his vest. 

Law’s breath was hot on his neck when he reached out to start undoing Law’s belt, the holster of Law’s scalpel dug into his leg as he caught a glimpse of Ace’s bracelet and suddenly it all seemed too much.

“I need you to stop.” He managed to choke out.

Almost immediately, Law was off him and halfway across the room in an attempt to give him space. Luffy dreaded the reaction but Law’s face only showed earnest concern, “Is everything okay?”

Every now and then, things got a little overwhelming for Luffy on the sex front, he always loved having sex with Law and as he had gotten older he was able to understand that some of the times when it got particularly bad it was due to when he felt pressured by other people and society- his prom night had been an absolute disaster. Normally it would be okay, Law was always so sweet and wouldn't mind doing whatever it took to make sure he was comfortable, except today wasn’t normal, “I’m sorry, honey, I’m-” 

“Don’t you apologize,” Law interrupted sternly and Luffy closed his mouth obediently already knowing the words about to come out of Law’s mouth, “I always want you to stop me instead of forcing yourself into something you’re not a hundred percent for.” He frowned then, looking dismayed at himself, “It was the consummate comment wasn’t it? I’m sorry, sweetheart, I only meant it as a joke.”

“I know, I know, it’s just-” It’s just probably five other times today someone had also jokingly mentioned that it was their wedding night, of course they wanted to skip out on the clean up and the honeymoon that was following, and Luffy had been wearing lingerie for hours, a labor of love from Ina that was supposed to help make their night special and it had been a long day plus it was Ace’s birthday and the absence of his big brother on this special day, plus his dad and a bunch of other old friends had put him off kilter and as much as he loved Law and wanted to show that, it felt like his chest was getting tight from the expectations placed on the evening’s activities.

Law seemed to understand all of this without words, announcing quietly without ire, “I’m going to wash my face.”

Luffy curled up on the bed to try and counteract the cramped feeling in his chest, mad at his own hesitation, wanting nothing more but to be happy with Law yet refusing to just put out because that’s what people expected of a newlywed couple.

He could hear the sink running as Law washed his face, going through his usual five step routine he went through whenever he wore makeup. He went into the bathroom as well so he could wash his face with a warm washcloth, careful not to get his long sleeves wet with the thigh holster sitting on the countertop, returning to the bed when he was finished.

Law moved around the room, picking up the discarded clothes to hang them up. He retrieved the coin Luffy gave him from his jacket pocket and walked over to the entertainment center where his large black wood coin collection display case was situated. He opened up the lid, starting to push coins around with a finger, holding the new coin up to admire. “What are you doing?”

Law didn’t look up, answering, “I’m trying to decide whether I should put this coin with the others, or get it its own case, maybe I could put one of the invitations with it too or a photo to make it into some kind of display.”

Luffy watched as his husband shifted coins around in the case thoughtfully, with a furrow in his brow and an intense concentration, studiously serious in that familiar way he always got about coins, movies and trivia, and felt a warmth stir between his thighs.

That was the man he had married, more intelligent and gorgeous than Luffy could ever aspire to be, who liked quiet afternoons reading books on the couch, rewatched movies and sang along to musical theater playlists on car rides, and had a hobby of collecting coins, cars and white pets. A man whose body Luffy knew inside and out, who he trusted with his everything. 

Luffy slipped off the bed to start shimmying out of his pants carefully, keeping his back to Law as he did so. His fingers didn’t fumble this time as he unbuttoned his shirt, it was tapered in the back, falling in soft waves to his knees covering him from curious eyes. He took a steadying breath, turning around and letting the shirt drop from his grasp, sliding off his shoulders and onto the floor. 

Law’s golden eyes were heated with passion as they ran over his form, taking in the white two piece set that Inazuma had made for him. It was a chantilly lace tank top with broad straps so they would sit flat beneath his other clothes, coupled with french cut underwear that was almost seamless made of a lace so thin that Luffy had forgotten he was wearing it and surprised himself earlier in the evening when he went to the bathroom. 

Luffy walked over to Law, feeling emboldened by the rapt attention that was watching his every movement. He reached out so he could undo Law’s belt, pulling it to let it slide through the belt loops with one hand, placing the other on his husband’s tattooed chest. He could feel a heart hammering underneath his fingertips, as the belt lightly thudded on the floor. Law cleared his throat, voice still coming out in a thick rasp, “You look like a dream.” 

He undid the two buttons of Law’s pants, slipping his hand between the fabric to palm at his cock, “Does this feel like a dream to you?”

“No.” Law breathed out, “Fuck, no.” 

And that was all it took. They fell upon each other like starving men, like the hours they had spent apart earlier in the day, the time they had been forced to keep things non-explicit as they were the center of attention had robbed them of water, of air to breathe and they were helpless to do anything else but get their hands and lips on each other, drawn together by gravity. 

Law moved them backwards to the bed again with Luffy falling back onto the mattress while Law hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his slacks to pull them down, surprising Luffy with his own choice of underwear- a thong made of black velvet, “What you thought you were the only one who would dress up for the occasion?”

“No.” Luffy giggled as Law crawled onto the bed to join him, reaching out to rub at the velvet, “It’s soft.” Law huffed from the sensation, grinding down to chase his grasp while bending over to kiss at Luffy’s neck, gently tugging at the chain of his new necklace with his teeth, tongue flicking against the sensitive skin, hands creeping up under his tank top to knead at his lower back. Luffy groaned, pushing his lace covered crotch up to rub against Law’s velvet covered one, threading his arms around Law’s neck to keep him close, not like his husband had anywhere else he wanted to be on their wedding night. 

—

About four hours and three full goes later, their lingerie is scattered on the floor, the sheets and covers are half off the bed, things are all slick between them from lube and bodily fluids, and Luffy is reaching backward to grasp at the headboard. His legs are up, ankles resting on Law’s shoulders and he’s trying really hard to not kick and squirm too much so he doesn’t accidentally jostle Law’s upper right arm where the skin is still sensitive but if Law keeps hitting his prostate like it’s target practice, he might not be able to keep control of his movements. 

They’ve been taking turns tonight, flipping this way and that, pleasuring and praising each other throughout the small hours of the night. Law had given Luffy the lead in the beginning, feeling more comfortable if he set the pace due to his earlier reservations which Luffy did gleefully. The follow up round with Law taking point had begun after they had eaten some of the leftovers Sanji had sent with them, feeding each other bites of cake as they recapped the highlights of the day. 

He had gotten tired when it was his second turn to top, bringing Law to completion from nothing more than his mouth around his husband’s cock as he lounged on the bed. Law seemed to be out for revenge, taking his spit slick dick and working him open enough to insert it, going for broke as he rammed into Luffy over and over again with vigor, unraveling him with deep heat and sweet words. 

Luffy moaned, his spine arching off the mattress, pushing against Law’s shoulders with his feet, one hand digging into the rumpled sheets and the other scrambling for purchase on the headboard as his vision went white. Law made a strangled noise too, eyes squeezing shut as his thighs trembled, buried down to the hilt. 

In the aftermath, they panted together, practically melting into each other’s flesh in a haze. Luffy hummed, running his hand up and down Law’s back, admiring the way his rings were sparkling in the dim light, “I think I’m going to like being married.”

“Good.” Law purred, kissing him lazily, “Cause there’s no take backs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dynamics of the Romance Dawn Trio are unbeatable. I'm also very curious to see if Luffy and Dragon will have an actual conversation in canon one day. 
> 
> It took us four chapters but we made it through the wedding day, maybe now Sanji will be able to sleep.


	25. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Wait?" Usopp asked, "How much did you say you spent?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One Piece had its 1000th chapter today which is a monumental accomplishment for Oda and his team both for the manga and the anime. The series, its characters and its story means so much to be and I'm proud to be apart of this fandom. 
> 
> Content Warnings: Mentioned depression, death and mania

Luffy woke up to sunlight streaming through the window, the sound of crashing waves and Law’s steady breathing in his ear. They had turned the ambient waves on before they had fallen asleep, scant minutes before the sun had started to rise, not that they needed it with how tired they were. 

On the nightstand his phone chimed with a text and he reached over to pull it from the charger before burrowing back down under the warm covers. It was from Usopp, saying that they were going to be there in thirty minutes to drop stuff off. There were also about a million other notifications on his phone, congratulatory text messages, photo tags, posted videos from the night before. He scrolled through his feeds, grinning as he saw their wedding day from a hundred different perspectives. He was watching a recording of Law and him grinding up on each other on the dance floor surrounded by their cheering friends, the audio coming out from his tiny speaker when Law stirred. It was about time for them to start getting ready for the day anyway so Luffy tossed the phone aside so he could crawl on top of his husband. His golden eyes swept open, glinting in the light, as Luffy brushed fingers across his cheek, “You slept.”

Law smiled languorously, “I did. Long day yesterday.” 

Luffy sighed, stretching up against his husband’s taller body, “Tell me about it.”

“I will:” Law placed kisses in Luffy’s hair to punctuate his words, “I got married to the most wonderful man in a gorgeous ceremony then had what was probably the coolest wedding reception ever.” 

Luffy pressed a kiss on his smiling jaw, agreeing, “It was really cool.” 

“I mean, honestly,” Law sat up with a yawn and a stretch, “New Year’s Eve on a ship, we’re fucking geniuses.”

Luffy giggled, sitting up as well, “You’re a surgeon and I had the great idea to marry you so I’d say yeah.” They were able to take a fast shower and put on some clothes before their friends arrived, though they were still toweling their hair dry. 

There were two vans full of things, plus Franky’s truck, brought by the convoy of Brook, Zoro Usopp along with Penguin and Shachi. Luffy opened the door for them with Bepo barking a greeting as well. “Hey, guys!”

“Good morning!” Brook said back, carrying several takeout containers, “We’re here!”

“And we got presents!” Penguin added, holding two large wrapped boxes stacked in his arms.

“Whole lot of them.” Zoro rumbled, carrying a huge trash bag full.

Law, who had followed Luffy down the stairs, chimed in, “I appreciate the man labor, you can put the gifts in the living room and stack the decorations on the dining table. Coffee anyone?” He offered, “Anything else to drink?” 

“Some tea perhaps?” Brook asked, placing his armful on the kitchen island.

“Of course.” Law assured, already reaching for the kettle, “Penguin, you’ll like this new dark roast I have. Everyone else?”

“I’ll take coffee too.”

“Same!”

“Spike mine with something strong.” Zoro answered, wincing as he placed the bag down.

“Are you alright?” Law asked. Luffy hurried over to his best friend concerned, since when they left the party last night, Zoro had been in perfect health and now he was openly wincing which meant it was some kind of injury that was debilitating for normal people. 

Zoro allowed him to hover, Luffy’s hands coming to hold the collar of his shirt to drag their temples together as he asked seriously, “Did it happen while you were at the wedding? Am I going to have to beat someone up?”

“He performed a noble sacrifice last night.” Usopp informed, “He sat on Sanji until he passed out. He’s been sleeping since.”

Luffy gasped a bit as Law’s eyebrow rose, “Seriously?” 

Zoro lifted the edge of his shirt up to display the dark mottled bruises along the right side of his ribcage, “Almost broke my ribs in the process but he dropped eventually.”

Brook wrung his hands together, “Poor Sanji-san was quite wound up, not even one of my songs could make him sleep.”

Luffy’s eyes widened, sharing a look with Usopp who nodded sagely, “That’s bad.”

Law scanned his injury with a trained eye, “Did Chopper check those out? Because you’ve got two operating assistants and a licensed cardiothoracic surgeon here and I have a travel surgical kit upstairs, I’d love some practice if you’ve got a punctured lung.”

“Bite me.”

Law rolled his eyes fondly while the others chuckled, turning to Luffy expectantly, “Darling?” 

He smiled back tiredly- pleased that Sanji was sleeping after so much stress and hard work but saddened that it came at the expense of Zoro- never being one to be picky, “Whatever’s fine.” 

Brook started to arrange the food containers he had brought in into three piles, “We’ve brought whatever leftovers Sanji-san deemed non-perishable or freezer and fridge capable. He mentioned that he had talked to you about what couldn't be preserved until after you returned from your honeymoon?”

“Yes,” Law explained, preparing their drinks, “We’re having it donated to the program he works with, it’ll mostly be whatever bread goods and dinner leftovers that can’t last but we added a check too to sponsor more meals.” 

Zoro nudged Luffy’s hip with his own, looking at him with a single green eye, the color lightened in the morning sun to a leaflike hue, “Are you doing alright?” 

“Yeah,” Luffy answered wanly, thinking about Ace’s bracelet laying upstairs on his nightstand, twisted the rings on his finger, “I’m a newlywed. What do I have to be sad about? How about your ribs?” He deflected. 

Zoro seemed to let the issue go, cracking a smile, “Not only have I had worse, he’s done worse to me when we’ve actually fought so I’ll be fine.”

Law started to pass out the drinks, handed over a mug full of steaming hot chocolate to Luffy, “For you, my love.” Zoro snorted at the pet names and they all gathered around the island to pick over leftovers. Luffy had two cupcakes and a cheesecake trifle since they were still technically celebrating up until their honeymoon ended. Law seemed to have the same idea as he ate chocolate covered fruit. Zoro wasn’t one for sweets so he reheated a soft pretzel to munch on, discarding half of it to Luffy to polish off. 

When they had finished their breakfast they got to work unloading the vehicles, hauling in trash bags full of gifts, all the decorations that they were keeping, any sort of party good that was leftover and more packed up food. Luffy pulled overtime since with Zoro moving more gingerly this morning and Law still unable to lift too much weight with his right hand, he was currently the strongest one running at full capacity. He didn’t mind, he had always enjoyed hard labor. He would jog towards the vehicles to load up his arms and walk back inside, being careful to not jostle whatever he carried in case something was fragile then Law would direct him to where he needed to put it before he started all over again. 

Finally they got everything into the house, the decorations were going to stay on the dining table until they got back from their honeymoon and all the food had been put where they needed to go. As for the mound of presents that were occupying most of the living room, the seven of them started to open them up so they could at least toss the wrapping paper in the trash can and see what they had gotten before they left for a few days. 

Law was seated near the coffee table, going through the cards and having them say what each gift was while typing stuff into his laptop, making note of who bought them what so when they wrote their thank you cards later, they could show their appreciation by specifically addressing what was gifted to them in the note. Luffy was happy to be married to a man who thought ahead about things like that, if it had been him alone he would have made a huge mess but it wasn’t everyday you got to open more than two hundred gifts and cards in one sitting. He felt like a rich kid on Christmas and yeah, a good majority of the gifts were things that they had put on their registry- items to outfit their new house which had an additional two bedrooms and bathrooms that were still mostly bare walls and furniture- so they weren’t as cool as getting toys you wanted but there were some cool gifts and a bunch of gift cards to restaurants or vouchers for fun things they could do together. 

They got some typical wedding gifts like a juicer and a fondue pot plus some more personalized ones including a beautiful tiny blown glass ship from Vivi that Luffy marveled over, personalized tumblers from Sabo and Koala and two matching octagonal tole boxes from Marco that were supposed to be for keeping love notes and other small mementos in.

They were making good work of the present mound when Usopp handed over the present that was from Luffy’s family, it was a twelve person dining room set with six kinds of silverware that were all stainless steel along with four kinds of dishes which were a simple white with a lipped rim. Law was thoroughly pleased by the gift, “This is perfect. It’s not too formal that we can’t use it all the time and durable enough to withstand our regular life.”

“That was the idea.” Usopp boasted, “What’s the point of having dishes too fancy to use?”

Brook laughed, “We do hope you’ll enjoy it!” He held up a set of two large boxes, wrapped in identical paper, for them to open next, “It seems that this one is from your family, Law-san.”

Luffy took the boxes to place on the ground before him, already starting to rip the paper off the larger one, “It must be from the other members since Doffy and Cora already gave us their gifts.”

“Yeah,” Law murmured, typing, “Like a 1.2 million dollar wedding.” 

Shachi laughed, bewildered, “Dude, your wedding cost over a million dollars?”

Law scratched at his cheek, “I think, I actually lost track in the final stretch, maybe it’s closer to .1 than .2, I’ll have to run the numbers again later.” 

It looked like Usopp’s eyes were about to boggle out of his head, “Are you serious?”

“I didn’t know we had ended up over a million.” Luffy stated, wondering when the number had jumped so high. The last time he had heard anything about the budget was before Christmas and Law assured him they were well under what Doffy had promised them. 

“It wasn’t an unexpected total. The ship rental with all the amenities was about $90,000 plus we blew a whole lot on a four course meal, midnight servings and the open bar all night. Flowers are stupid expensive too, not that it helped that we ordered succulents as the party favors but Rebecca did a phenomenal job. Our suits from Hawkins were custom, we covered whatever the wedding party needed for their outfits. We had four kinds of entertainment.” He snorted, “Hell, we spent $300,000 on security alone.”

“There was security there?” Penguin asked in genuine surprise. 

Luffy nodded along with Law. There had been a team of fifty that had been staking out the ship for two whole days preceding it, they had been hidden for most of the night at places around the ship instead of clustering in the main part with their guests, they had even gone so far as to restrict the airspace around the ship while it was in the docks and out on sea. “Worth every penny, we wanted to make sure there were no uninvited guests.”

Luffy finished ripping the paper off the first box to reveal a set of glassware, reading the box he saw that there were apparently nine different types of glasses, four of each. He frowned, “Why are there so many different glasses?”

“Because they all have different purposes.” Zoro answered, leaning over to look at “Ooh, you even got some lowballs.”

“We’ll have a drink later.” Law promised. Luffy cracked open the second box which was more like a covered wooden crate which was topped with straw and tightly packed, inside were four various kinds of chocolate paired with four bottles of different alcohol. Law and Zoro saw the second gift as a sign to make good on their deal, cracking open the glassware set to pull out the lowballs washing them in the sink and drying them before pouring out a one finger pour. No one else seemed to want to drink straight whiskey at eleven in the morning so Luffy forced them to try the dark chocolate that was supposed to pair with it and report about it’s taste. 

“It takes like chocolate and whiskey.” Zoro replied, sipping at his whiskey. 

Law, with his more refined palate, came through to answer his pressing questions, “It’s 99% cacao so you wouldn’t like it at all, it’s more of a full-bodied cocoa taste. I can see why they paired it, this whiskey is more fruity than others I’ve tried but it is also smoky so the really dark chocolate works.”

Zoro raised an eyebrow, “Do you actually know what you’re talking about?”

Law shrugged, “I’ve been dragged to fancy ass places that explain the taste pairings since I was ten. It rubs off eventually.”

It took another hour for them to get through all of the presents with Law dutifully writing down what they received. Just as soon as they thought they had finished, Penguin and Shachi gave them another two presents that were identical in shape and size. “We all chipped in for these, thought they might be helpful on your honeymoon.”

Inside the boxes were each a fleece quarter zip pullover, Law’s was a light gray with a navy blue pocket that had the initials ‘TL’ monogrammed on in white thread. Luffy’s was a cream with a beige pocket monogrammed with ‘MTL’ in rose gold thread. He stroked the letters, the first physical representation of his new name: Monkey-Trafalgar Luffy. He hugged the soft fabric to his chest, “This is so cute, guys! Thank you!”

“I appreciate that they’re not completely matching.” Law admitted with a grin. 

“When are you guys heading out?” Shachi inquired, glancing at his watch to check the time.

“Our train leaves at five, it’s a three hour ride so we’ll get in around eight thirty. We’re planning on leaving the house around 3:30.” Law responded, “Remind me to get you Polar’s bed to take with you.”

The two of them were taking Bepo with them on their honeymoon, since their hotel allowed dogs and Luffy was going to need company when Law was busy, but Polar was going to stay with Penguin and Shachi to have an extended play-date with their cat, Tang. “Are you ready for your talk?”

Law gave a half groan and Luffy smiled in sympathy, knowing how Law didn’t like to be put on parade like he so often was, “They sent sample questions two weeks ago and I have a whole file folder, not to mention my laptop so it’ll be fine.”

Brook seemed intrigued, “Are you giving a talk soon, Law-san?”

Law didn’t find it very interesting having been to countless events like that before but Luffy thought it was exciting, “I’ve been asked to join a panel at the Annual Emergency Medicine Conference, the board decided that I was cleared enough to go travel and speak as a representative. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly looking forward to it but I don’t mind since they’re paying for travel and lodging though I did have to cover the upgraded room.” 

“When is it?” Zoro asked, washing his empty glass in the sink.

Law brought his own glass to the sink for washing, “Tomorrow and the next day, I’m only speaking tomorrow and just attending the following day.”

“What?” Usopp questioned, “I thought you guys were going to be on your honeymoon till the sixth at a ski resort.”

“We are,” Law clarified, “The conference is being held at the ski resort. I was asked to speak before we had set our wedding date and we were planning on just going on together as a small vacation. Once we chose our date, we thought we would extend our stay beyond the conference and call it our honeymoon.” 

Luffy fiddled with his rings, “We don’t mind having a more low-key honeymoon since we wanna go on a bigger, longer trip for our first anniversary. That's why we’re taking Bepo so we can play in the snow while Law works.”

“I’m sure you’ll have a marvelous time,” Brook assured, “And you’ll certainly have something to look forward to at the end of the year.”

They cleaned up the mess while Law gathered up everything that Polar would need for her own trip outside of the house, placing everything into a duffle bag that he handed off to Shachi. Luffy teased her with a wayward ribbon before scratching at her ears soothingly. 

Law scooped Polar up, cradling her to his chest, murmuring, “I know you can’t understand me but we’ll be back soon. We would take you with us, except you hate your carrier. Don’t worry Penguin, Shachi and Tang are going to be great hosts.” He put her in the dreaded cat carrier, entrusting her into Penguin’s care. His co-workers left then, wishing them a final farewell as they piled into their van. 

Luffy’s family stayed a while longer, helping them to organize gifts to be put away later. They left with Usopp driving Franky’s truck and Brook driving their van with Zoro sitting in the passenger seat with their flower crowns from the day before in his lap to bring to Robin who knew how to preserve flowers.

Alone in their house again, Law packed up everything Bepo would need on the trip into their big suitcase, the one that had all of their snowsuit gear. They had the one big suitcase, a carryon sized one and backpacks each that contained everything they would need for the five night, six day honeymoon. They ate some more assorted leftovers, finished their packing and took a brief nap before they were hauling their stuff out the door with Bepo in tow, climbing into the rideshare that they had chartered. 

The train station was on the southern end of the city’s coastline and crowded like it always was during the daytime with people coming in from all different cities. Luffy was in charge of their two suitcases while Law kept Bepo close to his leg. Luffy bypassed the line in front of the ticket booth, going instead to the back worker’s entrance.

The door swung open in response to Luffy’s knock and he bounced on his heels, “Hey, old lady Kokoro. Franky said he left our tickets with you.”

There was a guffawing laugh, “Course they’re here, this is the ticket booth.”

“Awesome.” 

There was the slapping of sandals on tile before a smiling green haired girl and her rabbit came into view, “Big brother Luffy!” “Nya-nya-nah!”

He crouched down so he was on their level to ask, “Hey, Chimney, Gonbe, did you like the wedding?” 

He could count on one hand the number of people under fifteen at their wedding so it was important to him that they had thought it was fun as opposed to Luffy’s past experiences of weddings when he was a child which were boring. “Oh yeah!” “Nya-nya-nah!”

Kokoro handed them the envelope with their tickets, “I’ll tell you, boy, that was some party you two threw. Great booze!”

“Thank you.” Law answered, running a hand through his hair, “We had a whole lot of help to pull the day off, to be honest I am very thankful it’s over.” 

“I bet,” Kokoro agreed, “Weddings are stressful! Sit still, I’ll get you two some help to get to your platform.” Soon two mustachioed employees in uniform came over and she called to them, “These strapping men are going on their honeymoon!” 

Luffy waved at Bushon and Stevie, recognizing them from the many times he had hung around the station or taken a train and they quickly took their bags to cart towards the platform, they were gossiping loud enough about the state of Law and Luffy’s ‘true love’ that other people could overhear, clearing a path through the midday crowds. “This is embarrassing.” Law muttered, trying to avoid eye contact with any passing people. 

Luffy laughed brightly, “You guys are so sweet!” He turned to walk backwards so he could face Law as he walked, gesturing to their right to the large sea train that was being unloaded, “That’s the Puffing Tom, Franky helped build it a long time ago! We’re not taking it today, we’re riding the Puffing Ice cause we’re going somewhere cold. That reminds me, did I ever tell you about the time we took the Rocketman out? That train is crazy fast and we smashed through a huge wave!”

Law snorted, pushing Luffy’s shoulder to make him face the right direction, “You did and I still can’t believe you all stole a train.”

Luffy pouted, if Law knew the story he also knew that they didn’t steal it outright, just borrowed it, “It wasn’t stolen, Kokoro let us take it and she was driving so it was fine.”

Law shook his head, smiling as they made it to Puffing Ice, handing their tickets to the conductor, “You get on to me for my criminal activities but you’re just as wild.”

Luffy grinned at his husband as he started to climb up the steps to get into the train, pausing on the step that made him equal in height to Law, hands on his hips, “It’s a good thing then that I've got you to act as my impulse control.”

“For the rest of your life.” Law vowed, leaning forward to kiss him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll notice that I upped the chapter count to 28, long story short, I planned out their whole honeymoon and an epilogue, neither of which that could fit into a single chapter. 
> 
> Like Law, I couldn't keep track of how much the wedding cost overall but with the vendor sites I've been looking at for real life inspiration, I'm pretty solid in saying it would be over a million.


	26. The Panel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law considered planning successful vacations as one of his more marketable attributes as a romantic partner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Oral sex, hand job, mentions of death and anxiety

The train ride had been smooth, without any unusual delays which they were thankful for. Luffy and Law spent most of the ride pressed up against the window, watching the ocean as they sped past, marveling at the technology that could produce such a quick method of transportation. They were picked up at the station by a van service the hotel offered, bringing them to the lodge they were staying at, which was twenty five minutes away from the train station, located high up in the snow capped mountains. The hotel the conference was being held out was on the edge of the downtown area, right at the foot of the ski slopes, the lifts to take people up only fifty feet away. 

Law was glad that Luffy had taken Bepo’s leash because as they arrived at the entrance and started to exit the vehicle Bepo lunged out, almost yanking Luffy out of the van with him, which definitely would have jarred Law’s arm in a painful way. 

The normally docile Great Pyrenees was twisting around, tangling himself in his leash, barking and whining when he was kept at bay from frolicking but it wasn’t the new environment that was causing such excitement, it was the snow. 

This area got an average of ninety-five inches of snow a year and it had been a good season, a whole other six inches had been dropped last night which made the meager one and a half inch of snow they had at home seem like a joke. Bepo always preferred cold weather, being a thickly coated breed, but his immense love for snow had been brought about due to one of Law’s extended trips back when he was a yearling, where they and Polar had spent four mid-winter months in the northern mountains while Law worked at the research facility located there. Ever since, the sight of snow had brought a fount of excitement out in Bepo, frolicking around like he was puppy again.

Luffy hurried to untangle him, laughing just as delightedly at the winter wonderland surrounding them, leaving Law to supervise as their suitcases were brought out from the back of the van and loaded onto a luggage cart for them. Law had to drag them both inside so they could check in, getting the room keys to go to their suite, Bepo was back to behaving as they walked through the halls so Law led him while Luffy pushed the luggage cart. 

Law’s travel and lodging had been paid for by the board in payment for exploiting his reputation, he would have been fine with the standard room he was supposed to have but when he realized that the trip was going to be their honeymoon too, he got their room upgraded to the honeymoon suite and started planning.

He considered planning successful vacations as one of his more marketable attributes as a romantic partner, he knew how to make trips enjoyable by scheduling out a combination of relaxing time and fun events. He would spend hours researching before they went on trips, looking at reviews for restaurants, activities and tours to find the best options. His motto was ‘always local’ with the idea that with anything they did, it would be something that they couldn't do at home which is why whenever they traveled they didn’t go to any kind of chain restaurants or hotels, opting to stay at bed and breakfasts, inns or villas, they would shop at farmer’s markets, cafes or general stores, they would make an effort to discover more than the tourist attractions and get a feel for the culture the locals enjoyed. 

For this particular trip, with Law working during the first two full days until three in the afternoon, the main priority was to make sure that Luffy wouldn't be bored silly therefore keeping him from getting out of trouble. Bepo was a good deterrent and Law was confident that the two of them could entertain themselves the first day by exploring the lodge, the city and the snow on their own. The second day he had planned for them to go on a guided tour, with snowshoes for Luffy, as well as finding a café that allowed dogs inside for their lunch. Everything after that, he was going to be there for as well.

The premier feature he had noticed about the honeymoon suite upon entering were the floor to ceiling glass sliding doors that looked out to the mountain range, the curtains drawn back so they could experience the full effect of the view. His husband, however, found something else to admire, “Wow! Look how big that bath is!” 

The suite was large, on the first floor with doors that led outside so they have to take Bepo on a long walk to go to the bathroom, with log walls, stone floors that were draped with rugs, a king size bed, their own fireplace and as Luffy pointed out a huge jacuzzi bathtub that was made of red granite along with a cold plunge tub set up nearby. There was a dog bed set up for Bepo in the corner near the fireplace and two robes hanging from the bathroom door. 

Law had been in contact with the front desk to make sure that with both Bepo coming with them and Luffy’s aversions the whole honeymoon hoopla didn’t include any candles. There was plenty of other cheesy stuff still, with rose petals scattered on the bed, a bottle of champagne and chocolate truffles on the nightstand and the towels sitting by the bathtub were folded into the resemblance of swans. 

“There is twenty-four hour room service as well, for your pleasure.” Law informed, wrapping his arm around Luffy’s waist from behind who hummed, pushing up against him, “What will you be having tonight?” 

Luffy giggled, whirling around to cord strong arms around Law’s neck, pulling him close to murmur a response against his lips, “You.” 

They kissed passionately, falling backwards on the bed amongst the rose petals while Bepo kept investigating the room, sniffing around the room’s perimeter. Law groaned as heat stirred within him as Luffy started sucking at his neck, wishing that he could let his husband continue but knowing that the placement was a little too high and he had a work event the next day. “I need to take a shower, you know how I am after traveling.” 

Luffy disengaged agreeably, brushing rose petals out of his black hair, “I can join you.”

“That’s alright, I won’t take long,” He stood up to go rummage through their carryon for his pajamas to change into and grab his toiletry kit, “Go ahead and order some room service for us.”

He went through his nightly routine, took a quick yet unhurried shower but by the time he had finished the food had already arrived. Luffy had gotten all the petals off the bed and was seated at the small table situated by the fireplace, saying in between bites, “I went for a breakfast food theme.”

Law saw the plate stacked full of double chocolate chip pancakes that Luffy was munching on which he wasn’t in the mood for since it was late in the evening but there were three other plates for him to choose from. He settled for eating some grilled steak and hard fried eggs served with hashbrowns and sautéed wild mushrooms. When he finished his food he used the iron stored in the closet to iron out his two suits needed for the convention, watching cable tv along with Luffy since they didn’t have the service at their house anymore. 

Luffy took a shower as he went over his notes for the panel then it was time for them to get into bed but Luffy seemed to have no intention of sleeping, getting all over Law, which he wasn’t opposed to at all. 

Law’s back was up against the headboard, legs spread wide so Luffy could get between his thighs, his mouth hot and wet,  _ holy shit _ , head bobbing up and down as he sucked Law off, pulling out tricks that Law didn’t know where he learned them from, stroking at the tattoos on his toned thighs, manhandling Law’s hips upwards so he could get a better angle. 

Law’s feet scrambled to brace against the mattress when he came, trying to muffle his moan since they may have hall neighbors. In the aftermath, Luffy wanted nothing more than to be jacked off so they could wind down, cleaning off with a wettened towel before they crawled under the covers. Law turned on the wave ambiance on his phone, ready to drift off to sleep yet Luffy would not stay still and not in the usual tossing and turning every now to get comfortable kind of moving, his leg bouncing up and down so hard that the whole mattress was moving. 

Law was no stranger to Luffy’s boundless restless energy but normally it would be run out of him by bedtime. He guessed that maybe the many sweets he had eaten throughout the day plus having to sit still on a three hour train ride meant that he hadn’t used as much energy as normal. Law usually would be accommodating but he was tired from the travel and the change of temperature to an even colder climate was making the rejoined nerves in his arm ache enough that he had taken one of his prescribed painkillers instead of an over the counter one. “Go to take a walk if you can’t sleep.” 

Luffy groaned but obliged, flopping out of bed to shove his feet into shoes. “Bring a coat and don’t forget the room key.” Law added, rolling over again. 

Luffy slumped out of the room, the door auto locking behind him. Bepo hopped onto the bed in his husband’s absence, curling up next to Law and he hooked his right arm over the broad furred back to elevate his arm. He was just drifting off when the door opened again and Luffy came in. “There might be a problem with me. I ran up and down the halls and even went outside to run but halfway through I almost threw up because my heart felt like it jumped into my throat.”

That had Law surging upright in bed, afraid that he would become a widower after a little more than twenty-four hours, Bepo sitting up as well. “Come here,” He flicked on the lamp so he could see as he placed his fingers on the carotid artery to start and measure his husband's pulse, “How long ago did you stop running?”

“When I got back into the lobby.” 

“Any chest pain?”

“Just the scar with the cold.”

“I’m dealing with that with my arm too.” Law wasn’t concerned with the rate he had found, it was a bit higher than usual but nothing frightening, “Have you felt any skipped beats?”

Luffy looked anxious, “The one time, but I can, like, feel my heart beating fast.”

Elevated heart rate, restlessness, the jittery leg, the flutter- “Where’s the room service menu?”

“You’re gonna eat now?” Luffy squawked, alarmed. 

Law rooted around the dim room, finding the menu on the table, scanning over the breakfast items, ‘Tiramisu Pancakes: Three chocolate chip chocolate pancakes served with vanilla mascarpone mousse and espresso syrup.’ 

He gave a sigh that was half-relief and half-exasperation as he tossed the menu to the side, “You didn’t get chocolate pancakes, you got tiramisu pancakes so it had both chocolate and espresso which both have caffeine. You know you can’t have them together. You’re over caffeinated at fucking eleven-seventeen at night.” 

There was a moment of pause in the half dark room before a quiet, “Oops.” 

Law filled up a glass with water, walking back to the bed to hand the glass to his husband, “Drink all of this, but there’s nothing else I can do, you’re going to crash hard.”

“Sorry, babe.” He said sincerely, but damn it, he was practically vibrating as he sat on the edge of the bed in his unlaced sneakers, pajama bottoms with tacos printed on them and his new fleece pullover. 

Law shooed Bepo off the bed then pushed Luffy’s shoulders so he was laying flat on his back, “I’m going to make you come so hard that not even the extra caffeine is going to be able to keep you up.” Luffy giggled, spreading his legs in anticipation. 

Law didn’t bother removing the coat but pulled the shoes off, rucking Luffy’s pajama bottoms down. He didn’t think his right arm was up for any kind of delicate work which meant he had one hand to work with and his mouth. He wasn’t as good as his husband at deepthroating however he had more experience giving blowjobs and that was going to serve both them well tonight.

Where Luffy would jump straight into it, he went for a more gradual buildup, generally always started by kissing as a method of sensual teasing as a precursor to the action. He moved up and down the shaft in a series of light feathery kisses then went back over the length with his tongue, licking at the underside as well with the tip of his tongue. He started to flick his tongue against the tip because it made Luffy whine and he relished in the sound as he went back and forth, up and down, slowly creeping his lips up over the head, then backing off, repeating the movement so his husband would squirm. 

Whether Luffy was shivering from the excess caffeine or because of the feeling of Law’s breath on his cock, it didn’t matter. He went past the head the next time around, hollowing his cheeks out around the length and things started getting supercharged. 

Luffy barely was able to shrug out of his coat before he passed out, eyes flickering under his eyelids. Law managed to shuffle to the bathroom to brush his teeth then tucked himself back into bed to fall into a dreamless sleep.

He woke up at the first chime of his alarm, regretting that he had ever agreed to attend a conference that’s events started at eight in the morning. His sleep schedule had gotten seriously screwed up after his injury when his body had craved rest all the time, meaning that there were lazy mornings, afternoon naps and early nights meaning that now his threshold for lack of sleep had been lowered to six hours seeming too little instead of the luxury it used to feel like before he had met Luffy. 

He had a little over an hour before he needed to go the check in and he was definitely going to need at least three cups of coffee to get this day started.

Which is what he thought before he stepped outside with Bepo and suddenly found his breath stolen out of his chest from the intense cold, immediately launching him into alertness. The air was frigid but with no wind and that made a difference. The air felt clearer out here, far enough inland that he couldn't taste the salt water in the air like he did at their home city so it felt crisper on his tongue, burning on its way down his throat. Another three inches had fallen last night and he took out his phone to take some pictures of Bepo leaving pawprints in the freshly fallen snow. 

He brought Bepo back into the room, dressed in some sweats and his new sweatshirt with his coat pulled over so he could go to get breakfast. He attempted to wake Luffy up but found his husband unwilling to rouse though he wasn’t completely unresponsive so Law didn’t worry about it too much. 

He avoided all contact with humans until he had fixed himself a cup of coffee, normally not happy to get coffee from big batch makers but surprised to sample its good quality and in a better mood found one of the attendants to inquire about the manner of receiving breakfast. 

It was a serve yourself line and he bit his cheek in amusement, knowing that his husband would lay waste to the buffet later. He grabbed a plate to load up with egg whites, some bacon and a small bowl of fruit to go with his steaming coffee. He ate quietly, admiring the view of the sun glittering off the snow-covered mountains. When he was finished he fixed a new plate heaping it with scrambled eggs, sausage patties and hash browns, then on another plate had a stack of actual chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup. He breezed out of the dining room with the plates in one hand, his coffee cup held carefully in his stiff right hand and headed back to their suite with a bottle of orange juice tucked under his left arm. 

Bepo greeted him eagerly, hoping for some of the breakfast he had brought back. He caved, depositing a forkful of scrambled eggs on top of the dog food that they had brought with them into the collapsible bowl. 

From the bed, Luffy groaned, curling under the blankets. His eyes opened slowly, squinting in the early morning light. “Good morning, my dear.” Luffy mumbled something back, looking more haggard than after their wedding night where he got even less sleep, “You feel alright?”

He rubbed his eyes, sitting up with a yawn, “Yeah, just fuzzy.”

Law handed him the juice, “I brought you breakfast, I tried to wake you but it was a lost cause.” 

Luffy popped the top off the juice, taking a swig, “Thanks.”

Law decided to pity his husband, allowing him to eat in bed while he got ready for the day. This kind of conference meant that he had to tone down his appearance to a more conservative look, today more so than tomorrow. That still didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to stick out like a sore thumb with his extensive tattoos, tailored clothes and nails still a glossy black from the wedding, not to mention that he was far younger than the fellow members of the panel. 

He had decided to go with a gray two button tweed suit with a cobalt blue wool button up with a black tie that paired well with his expensive black peacoat. He accessorized with a silver pocket watch that’s chain clipped on his belt loop and got tucked into his front pocket for a bit of added flare. He kept on his silver necklace and wore a pair of leather boots with a low heel so he wouldn't slip on snow whenever he ventured outside, including the same warm socks he wore to the wedding. Overall, he looked sophisticated, professional and certainly would be the most attractive one on the panel; perfect.

Luffy seemed to think so too, complimenting as he snuggled under the covers again, probably to take a nap once Law left, “You look nice.”

“Thank you, honey.” He strode over, bending down to kiss his husband on the forehead, “Alright, I’m off. You two have lots of fun without me so I can live vicariously through you.” 

Luffy nodded in agreement, “And your panel is?”

“At one.” Law answered, gathering up his messenger bag, making sure he had his notes and laptop charger, “I would have lunch with you but I’m being dragged to a working lunch with the other panelists. I should be back around three.”

Five hours later, he had gotten his little name tag- that was thankfully on a badge so he didn’t have to assault his suit with a pin-, sat through a long winded opening remarks, listened to three presentations about the latest research none of which he was interested in, went over his talking points as he ate lunch and was now sitting on a stage with a name plate and microphone set up in front of him, watching as the room filled up with other doctors in attendance to the convention and other people who had nothing better to do on the second day of a new year but to listen to eight doctors and a moderator speak for an hour. 

“Welcome everyone, to our talk on ‘Upcoming Changes in Ranked Methodology’. We are joined today by a variety of board certified critical care specialists of some of the country’s most prestigious hospitals, all here today to voice their opinions on where they think the future of emergency medicine is heading and more broadly to share their views on their experiences within the field. I will begin by posing a series of questions to our panel. I was wondering how the panelists would describe the state of ethics within the relationship between the healthcare industry and the government in the post-Paramount War era and where do you think the responsibilities lie among professionals on how to respond to scenarios involving both parties?”

That was partly a stupid question- because the government was always involved in their jobs, putting aside the obvious policy change and funding, as much as the government had jurisdiction to arrest people within the hospital grounds, medical professionals also had the obligation of doctor-patient confidentiality- it was also a question that raised Law’s hackles. Out of the nine on stage, he was the only one who had been in the thick of the Paramount War, his dead brother-in-law was the central figure of it, it was his hospital that was one of the two that was overcrowded by the wounded. 

He stewed in silence as the others began to discuss it, trying to not dismiss their opinions completely yet also remembering how he had hid Luffy’s admittance paperwork because if the marines caught wind of where he was, he would be arrested even if taking him out of the hospital at the time would have killed him either hemorrhage or by infection. If he had caved to the questioning he had been put through, he never would have had the chance to love the man he married. He listened as someone gave a particularly ignorant remark and spoke up. 

“If I may?” He interjected, introducing himself, “Dr.Trafalgar, Abaft University Hospital, cardiothoracic trauma surgeon. While I agree with your point that cooperation is necessary, I also believe that it would be the height of hubris for us to bow down and always do what is asked of us, that would eventually strip us of the autonomy that we need. Simply put, we’re not in the same league, our objectives are vastly different and as such it will produce conflict which is not necessarily bad. It comes from the fact that the government is concerned with upholding their sense of justice and order through laws. My sense of justice as a surgeon is vastly different, I don’t care who is on that operating table, I will work to the best of my ability to save their lives and if the government tries to take someone from my operating room, from my care before they are able to be released, I won't let them. I’m sure others at this conference agree with me, we have an obligation to help people so I think that we need to remain firm in acting within our own code of ethics and not letting that be swayed.” 

The rest of the panel passed by and as the conversation shifted away from such a heavy handed topic, Law began to work his charm, putting on the cultivated performance he whipped out whenever he needed to impress someone, a blend of rejoinders and immense knowledge. 

When the panel ended, he shook hands with the others then headed off the stage where he was greeted by admiring coworkers, exchanging small talk and declining invitations for dinner. He accepted a few congratulations on his recent marriage only to find himself confronted by his grinning husband, “What are you doing here?”

Luffy giggled, “I thought I'd come out and support my man. You did good, I think, I didn’t understand everything some people said but I got the gist of what you did.”

Law leaned down to kiss him briefly, “It’s always good to cut through the jargon enough to be more marketable to a larger audience. Did you fall asleep?”

“No.” He stuck his tongue out before admitting, “I did pass out again after you left, I woke up in time for lunch.”

Law chuckled at his husband’s caffeine hangover then realized, “So you didn’t go exploring yet?”

“Nope.” Came the breezy response, unbothered over sleeping an entire half of a day away. 

“Perfect,” He adjusted the strap of his messenger bag on his shoulder, “Let’s go back to the room. I’ll change, we’ll get Bepo and then I’ll escort you two around.”

Luffy seemed eager about the idea but he had been with Law to enough of these conferences to ask, “I thought you had to stay for another hour?”

Law shrugged, taking his hand, “I’ve already given my talk and it's my honeymoon, who's going to stop me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally having chocolate pancakes with espresso sauce wouldn't cause such an extreme reaction but Luffy's tolerance is extremely low due to no one letting him have anything stronger than chocolate and diluted matcha. In the Strawhats eyes, they would rather deal with a drunk Luffy than a caffeinated one. 
> 
> Quick clarification on last chapter- Sanji hadn't slept for over 72 hours and was very wound up but they couldn’t get him to sleep through normal means so they forced him onto the couch then Zoro sat on Sanji to make him stay still. Sanji of course didn’t like this idea so he started to kick at Zoro while protesting but Zoro wouldn’t budge and Sanji couldn’t knock him off. Eventually he ran out of energy and fell asleep. 


	27. The Honeymoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The snowshoes made it feel like Luffy was a kid again and trying to wear his grandfather’s worn house shoes when it was time to go get the mail, struggling to walk properly with shoes too big for his feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Semi-graphic hand job and anal sex

The rest of the first full day of their honeymoon had been bliss. They had gone all along the shops running main street, taking a trolley up to the top of the hill and working their way down then took the trolley back up to go down the other side of the street, buying souvenirs to bring back, using an elongated penny pressing machine that’s design was customized for the city to fulfill Law’s coin collecting desires, eating ice cream at a parlor before their dinner at a third story lounge overlooking main street. They had taken the ski lift that was by the hotel, bundled up in their new coats as they took the round trip up and down the mountain under the moonlight. They returned to the hotel to fall upon each other, Law working him over to slide in with incredible tenderness, moving against each other in a synchronized rhythm, building in pleasure until completion. In the aftermath, they had exchanged slow kisses and Luffy had run his fingers over Law’s wedding band, relishing in the love that draped in a haze between them and the down comforter. 

Luffy had woken up when Law did and stayed awake this time, going with his husband to eat breakfast before they returned back to the suite so Law could get ready for the day, dressed down a little since he was only going as an attendee instead of a presenter. 

Law left for the second day of conferences with his cute name badge and messenger bag, actually excited for a presentation about recent advancements of carrier testing which was something to do with family genetics, a subject that Law had an obsession over since childhood, as a victim of a hereditary disease. Luffy had tried to understand what was so interesting about it but his time in high school biology had been a blur so he just smiled encouragingly and nodded.

He bundled himself up in all the layers that Law had arranged for him on the bed in preparation for his snowshoe excursion. There was a matching set of thermals, his new fleece pullover and the snowsuit Law had bought him for the trip, a snow bib and jacket in a bright red. There were two pairs of socks along with waterproof gloves and fur-lined boots. There was also a dri-fit beanie to go under his straw hat and Law made sure to remind him to put sunscreen on his face to negate the reflective snow’s effects. Bepo didn’t need any gear since he had a winter undercoat and thick fur between his paw pads to protect against frostbite but Luffy outfitted him in his running harness to attach his leash to instead of the normal collar, bringing water bottles for the both of them and Bepo’s collapsible water bowl. 

They took the shuttle service to get to the state park where their tour was supposed to start from, a group of six other people and a tour guide including a brown Labrador that a couple had with them. Bepo made friends with the dog quickly while Luffy made friends with the humans. He got the snowshoes strapped to his boots which were big plastic things and not the cool wooden ones that he saw in movies. It felt like he was a kid again and trying to wear his grandfather’s worn house shoes when it was time to go get the mail, struggling to walk properly with shoes too big for his feet but he got used to it after the first five minutes. 

It was a two and a half hour tour, walking up the mountain through snow-capped woods because of the recent snowfall and the early hour of the day they were the first ones on the trail for the day which meant they had to break the path. It was a good time, everyone sharing stories along the way, Luffy snapping pictures of the landscape and him and Bepo to show Law later, the tour guide pointing out things about the environment and the trail, including an abandoned mining facility that Luffy really wanted to go explore and would have under normal circumstances but the shoes were rentals. 

The most fun came when they were coming down the mountain back to where they started, taking a different way so they could arrive at a slope where they could forge their own paths down in snow that was deeper than Luffy’s hips that they could walk over with the aid of the shoes. With permission from the guide he unhooked Bepo from the leash so the big dog could go bounding around, never straying far from Luffy as he plundered through the mounds of snow. Each step was an adventure that started with him putting his foot down, followed by a swoop in his stomach as the snow beneath it dropped out, practically sliding him forward until he came to an eventual stop. He fell once when a step took him down a little drop he couldn't make it because of the snow, slipping backwards which he laughed off because the snow drift was soft and his snowsuit was waterproof so he just had to brush excess snow off. 

When they got to the bottom of the slope there was only ten more minutes left to walk to get back to the parking lot. They all returned their shoes to the tour guide and Luffy gave him the tip that Law had tucked into one of his inside jacket pockets. He and Bepo took the shuttle service back to the hotel where he toweled any snow off of Bepo before he hopped into the shower to warm up. 

He blow dried his hair and changed into a thick red sweater with yellow fleece pants putting back on his winter boots and his snow jacket so they could head downtown again to the café that Law had said would be a good for their late lunch. 

It was a pretty place with brick covered walls and a high ceiling strung with edison lights that reminded Luffy of his wedding reception, a mix of seating arrangement, an open kitchen including a long display case full of baked goods. There were different board games available for use including an oversize Connect 4 that Luffy was dying to play, some groups taking advantage of them, others working on their laptops and others just talking over steaming mugs. 

He was completely starving from their excursion so he sat at a table and ordered a whole bunch of hot sandwiches. When he polished off those he moved from the table into a leather loveseat to hang until Law came to meet him. Bepo lounged at his feet, content to just people-watch since their tour had worn him out too. Luffy had a book with him to read, the first installment of a graphic novel series that Usopp had recommended, which he alternated between flipping through the pages and texting with Zoro about his honeymoon so far.

He had gotten hungry again after a while and ordered a cinnamon roll, a slice of banana nut bread and three chocolate chip cookies along with a cup of rich hot chocolate. He had just gotten to the end of a chapter when a smooth voice asked, “Mind if I join you?” 

He looked up and there was Law, dressed wonderfully in gray slacks, a white wool button up, a thin magenta tie and a light gray patterned scarf which he tucked into a sharply cut black topcoat plus his usual spotted fur cap. Bepo jumped up to his feet to rub against Law’s long legs and Luffy stood up as well to greet his husband with a kiss on his cheek. Law went to get himself a cup of coffee and Luffy hurried to scarf down the last bit of the offending banana bread. They both sat down on the loveseat, Law regaling Luffy with the events of his day and Luffy shared his chocolate chip cookies and the tales of their snowshoe tour. 

They played five games of the big Connect 4- which ended up with Law winning two, Luffy winning one and tying twice- before they left to head to eat dinner at a place with a heated patio so they could sit outside with Bepo. They shared a lox plate that was made up of all locally sourced ingredients- three different kinds of smoked salmon, paired with sourdough flatbread with capers, whipped chive cream cheese, scrambled eggs, brie, pears, pickled red onions and a cucumber salad. The meal was light enough for Law to enjoy but had enough food that Luffy was satisfied and they gave Bepo some pears as a treat. 

Back at the hotel for the night, they decided to make use of the bathtub, running the water to fill up the deep basin with Law popping open the champagne and Luffy grabbing the truffles for them to enjoy as they soaked. The bath was wider than the one they had in their master bath at home so they were able to sit side by side with only their adjacent thighs overlapping, their legs stretched the same direction. 

They played a jazz playlist from Law’s phone, drinking and feeding each other chocolate, talking about their ideas for the upcoming year as newlyweds, getting handsy and grinding up on each other, making good use of the jets, the hot water making their skin tingle in a way that made their bodies more receptive. 

They settled down after they had jacked each other off, simply enjoying the warm bath and each other’s company. Law had bought one of his designated bath time books with him, one of the true crime paperback novels that he had gotten a box full of at a yard sale to entertain himself with after he had gotten his arm lopped off and spent his days at home for the first time since he was a child. 

Luffy didn't have the foresight to bring a book on the trip that he didn’t mind getting wet so he was left to play with the jets until he got bored and just rested his head against the lip of the tub. Law was quietly engrossed in the novel he was reading, Bepo was chewing on a toy they had brought for him, the jazz was playing in the background, the jets were buzzing pleasantly against his spine, helping to soothe his tired muscles after his long hike, Law’s weight was warm and heavy beside him, skin slick where they were touching, the hot water making him feel innately relaxed and without realizing it, he drifted into a peaceful doze. 

Law woke him up after a while, helping him out of the bath and drying them both off, making sure Luffy was alert enough to brush his teeth then pulled the covers over them, kissing at the freckles that speckled his shoulders, faded partially due to the winter months demanding long sleeves. Under his husband’s soothing touch, he fell asleep, content with the day he had and eager for the next one. 

They started the third full day of their vacation by sleeping in as long as they could which ended up only being nine am. They took Bepo on a long walk around the hotel grounds before dropping him off so they could go to brunch, getting several small plates for them to share over mimosas. 

They went back to the hotel so they could get dressed for a longer excursion into the snow, Luffy donning on the same clothes as yesterday’s hike and Law putting on a compression sleeve on his right arm beneath all of his layers, his snowsuit a solid black with gold detailing. They took the shuttle service to a nearby facility which had indoor and outdoor activities that they had planned to spend the whole afternoon at. 

They started their afternoon with a two hour time slot of tubing, where they were given inner tubes with long cords with rings on the end so they could drag them easier. They dragged their tubes through the snow to stand in a line that led to a magic carpet lift that carried people up the mountain to where the tubing lanes were. 

The magic carpet was super cool, way better than trudging all the way up the slope on their own, and the wind blew at them from the east as they made the ascent. Law was riding behind Luffy so he raised his phone high in the air to take a selfie as they rode. When they reached the top, over a thousand feet, they looped each other’s ring through their arms to keep their tubes together and went down the mountain. It was a fifty second ride which was long for a tubing ride with several smaller hills that they flew over, sliding left and right across the lipped lane to come to a halt at the bottom with the assistance of rumble strips. They hauled themselves out of the tubes to go to the back of the line at the bottom of the mountain to ride again.

They went down the hill ten times during their two hour slot. Six times as a couple and four times on their own, racing down on different lanes. On the third run together, Law took a video the whole way down, laughing deeply as Luffy whooped, their stomachs swooping as they went over the hills at a rapid rate. Before their fifth time down, when they were waiting to get access to a lane they took a picture together at the top of the mountain, faces squeezed into the frame, snow in their hair and cheeks flushed from cold and excitement. 

When their time was up, they went inside and got hot drinks to warm them up, going through a mandatory forty-five minute long guided experiential tour of the indoor activities that included a ten thousand square foot skate park, foam pits with swing ropes, parkour area and a spring floor. The tour guides were obligated to teach the group about the basics of falling safely and using the equipment but they quickly caught on that Law and Luffy were more adept than most people and when they were set free to do what they wanted watched them interestedly. 

Law had been taught floor tricks as part of his training as a member of the Donquixote Family as a way to increase mobility and balance and it was always incredibly sexy for Luffy to watch his long legs go skyward. (Once Law had thrown a knife at a target in between side flips and Luffy almost swooned when he hit it dead on.) Any sort of training outside of his physical therapy had been verboten which had made them both sad since one of their favorite pastimes was going to a bouldering gym. Today he stuck to doing aerial cartwheels, doing one handed swings into the foam pit, talking to the employees and videoing Luffy as he showed off. 

Luffy had always been flexible, having been taught the basics of gymnastics and tumbling in his childhood but once he had joined the circus he had been trained by the acrobats to be able to work as a fourth stringer in a show if needed, honing his abilities to the point that over two years later he had placed third in a local tournament for floor routine and fifth in the high bars earlier in August. After warming up, he took a stretch of the spring floor to work with, having discarded his top two layers, socks and shoes to be able to move easier. When he felt satisfied that he was limber and in control, he tossed his hat to his husband to hold, declaring, “Babe, watch this!” 

Law looked nervous, the way he always did whenever Luffy did anything he considered to be reckless, “I would like to remind you that I have a thirty year minimum warranty on our marriage, so please don’t break your neck.”

Luffy laughed, waving off his concern to do a front layout followed by a front double full, finishing with a blown kiss and a smile, “See, nothing to worry about!”

Law rolled his eyes fondly, “I never doubted you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hit over 100k with yesterday's chapter which is crazy to think about, considering at the beginning of this part I had an outline of the chapters and parts of some scenes written out, but mostly I have sat down for hours a day to write and here we are one chapter away from wrapping the wedding fic up.


	28. The Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I can’t say that we’ll always be happy, cause that’s just not how life works, but we will always have love and that will be enough to get us through.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: Mentioned death, depression, PTSD. Loosely described anal sex and hand jobs

The last full day of their vacation they had spent without definitive plans. Law had purposefully left the day open because he had scheduled a four hour outing for their evening, a way to wrap up their trip since they had an eleven o’clock train to take them home the next day. 

They had breakfast at the hotel, took Bepo for a long walk around town, went to another café for lunch then they rode the ski lift up and down, this time in the daylight so they could watch the skiers swoop down the slopes beneath them. They went back to the hotel and ran the bath again so they could lounge in it with the glass doors open, the curtains drawn shut, a mix of hot water and cold air that turned a casual soak into something more, things made slippery in a delightful way. 

In the aftermath, Luffy had shrieked with laughter when they realized that while it was a great idea, they hadn’t worked out the logistics on how they were going to deal with getting out of the bath, only wrapped up in towels in a room where the door was open to the below freezing temperatures. They had dashed in different directions, Law into the bathroom to turn on the shower and Luffy to first slam the door shut then crank up the thermostat. They crowded under the spray laughingly, hands wandering, thighs slotting up against each other amongst soap suds. 

When they got out and dried off, they started to get ready for the evening. Law had picked out an ensemble composed of a white wool button up, a gray sweater vest, dark gray slacks and a golden tie that matched his eyes and the same dressy low heeled boots that he had worn the whole trip which all looked wonderful with his navy blue cloak. 

Luffy had his fur coat to wear over a maroon chenille sweater dress and a sunny yellow pair of high waisted wide leg ruffle pants that he put his thermal tights underneath, paired with his winter boots. He looked wonderful, all cozy and soft to the touch and Law longed to hold him. They said goodnight to Bepo, leaving him with a new toy and the tv playing in the background. 

Law kept Luffy in his grasp as they walked from one mountain to another nearby, where they were supposed to begin their evening by checking in at the information desk of another resort. They signed release forms which Luffy gave an inquisitive look at Law about since he still didn’t know what Law had planned for the evening. 

There were other couples together and a few families in the lobby as well and they all moved outside to an open area at the base of the mountain. The sun was about to set soon, the air cooling more and Luffy did a little half dance, feeling the chill more now that they had stopped moving. Law wrapped his cloak around the two of them, chuckling as Luffy cuddled up underneath his chin, the cream fur of his coat tickling against his throat. 

The sound of sleigh bells started to fill the air as a train of horse drawn sleighs started to come around the corner. There were different sizes of sleighs depending on how many people were supposed to ride in them, pulled by draft horses and manned by drivers. Luffy gasped in excitement, looking up at Law for confirmation, eyes shining. “They only do one seating of forty people a night. It’s a twenty five minute ride one way, 1,800 feet up the mountain to an upscale yurt where there will be a six course dinner. I thought it would be a good way to cap off the trip, it certainly isn’t something that we could do at home."   


“It’s awesome!” They were led to a two seat sleigh, with the driver seated in the front row to be pulled by a huge bay Percheron whose name was Brownie, Luffy loved her immediately and had their driver charmed too before they even started the ride. Law tucked the wool blanket that was provided around the two of them snugly, making Luffy giggle as Law’s hand roamed over the side of his outer thigh to ensure there were no gaps where the cold air could get in. 

As the smallest sleigh they were positioned at the head of the line and soon they were off, gliding over snowy boughs and through towering pine forest at a pace that had the wind whipping at their cheeks, the cool air exhilarating in their lungs as they took in the breathtaking landscape covered in white powder that sparkled in the day’s dying light with the bells jingling merrily and the night sky started to get studded with stars above them. 

The sun had set by the time they reached the top, a wondrous 8,700 feet, the yurt glowing brightly on the mountaintop, welcoming them in. They were given steaming mugs of glogg upon their arrival, a berry based drink spiced with cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon that warmed them from the inside out while a pianist was in one corner, playing soft music to provide ambiance. A server guided them to their table, set with pewter dishware and by Law’s request, no candles.

At their table, he took off his hat and his gloves, brushing a hand through his hair to ruffle it back up, smiling at his dinner companion. Luffy was looking around the dining area eagerly as he sipped at his glogg so excitedly beautiful it took Law’s breath away more than the bitter cold outside. 

They discussed at length their honeymoon so far, listed highlights and perfecting the telling of stories to regale their friends and family at home with while the first two courses were served: a rich lobster and salmon bisque that was served with oyster crackers followed by an anisette pear, watermelon radish and tomato salad with a lemon & honey dressing. The intermezzo of a lime sorbet was served in bowls made from hollowed out rocks, polished on the inside and left to its rough edge on the outside that Law loved so much he pulled out his phone to search for where to buy similar ones online. 

With a prefix menu like this, everyone was supposed to have the same entrée but Law had requested that he be served the chicken option so they could share their entrées, knowing that he wouldn’t eat much of his to save room and Luffy would be looking for extra. The chicken was cooked in a delicious mushroom cream sauce and Luffy had the braised short ribs which were very good too, both served with mashed potatoes, roasted winter vegetables and a red wine lingonberry braising jus. 

While they were eating, Law was hit with a burst of nostalgia, asking, “Do you remember our first date?”

“Dinner and movie, a classic combo.” Luffy giggled around a mouthful, “We got dinner at a crepe place and watched a live stage recording of Newsies then we got ice cream after because-”

“I didn’t want the night to end.” Law finished with a nod, spearing a brussels sprout with his fork and running it through leftover cream sauce. 

Luffy giggled again, “Even though we were going back to the same place and had ice cream at home.” 

“Can you blame me?” Law argued lightly, “It was the first time we had gone out together with romantic intentions, I wanted us to have a great time.” Even in those days Law was already lost, swept away in the tidal wave of budding emotions for the young man whose life he had saved and had known for ten months. He had wanted nothing more but to show Luffy that while he was a good friend and a great housemate he could be an incredible boyfriend and that meant going to an actual ice cream parlor for Luffy to pick out whatever flavors he wanted to go with a waffle cone instead of them eating straight out of a carton of cookies and cream like heathens.

“It was a great time.” Luffy agreed, shoving more short ribs in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before he swallowed, “You didn’t kiss me though.” 

Law _ hadn’t _ kissed him on the eve of their first date, even though they had made out a few times before then, they had gotten home from getting ice cream and gotten ready for bed like they had for the last few months, sharing the bathroom sink and packing up their lunches for the next day’s work. Luffy had still been sleeping at the couch at that point so they parted at the door leading to Law’s bedroom, Law certainly had wanted to kiss Luffy standing there in an old pair of Law’s sweatpants that were so long the pant legs trailed on the ground, but it hadn’t felt right. 

He shoved his plate towards Luffy to polish off, took a sip of his wine to clear his throat, “I didn’t want to rush things. Normally on the first date you kiss to say goodbye then go your separate ways but with us being in the same place I thought that maybe if we did kiss then it would escalate and we wouldn’t have an excuse to stop. I felt like it would have become a thing of convenience, not of intention and I didn’t want to impose that on you.”

Luffy sighed dreamily, “You’ve always been so patient with me, so sweet and caring. You never pushed me or made me feel like I was holding our relationship back and needed to speed up. No one’s ever been like that with me before.” He cut Law off before he could begin with a wave, “I know you’re going to say it’s common courtesy but it's more than that, it’s beyond chivalry, it’s special.” He paused in his eating to reach across the table and hold Law’s hand, “It means a lot to me.”

Law squeezed his hand back, “I know I couldn’t right all the wrongs that had been done to you but I always believed that if we were going to be together, I was going to do my damndest.”

Luffy gave the barest huff of a laugh, passion burning strong in his eyes, “And I’ll keep trying with you.”

There were a selection of cheeses paired with fresh and dried fruits, nuts and crackers served on an aspen slab for their next course. Law had been enjoying himself, sampling cuts of goat cheese with dried apricots and fresh figs, thinking about their first date and every date after that led to this moment, having dinner on the top of a mountain with a wedding band shining on his finger. 

Luffy, however, had gone quiet, withdrawn into himself in a manner that Law knew not to bring attention to, so he busied himself with cutting up a pear and eavesdropping on the group of six thirty-somethings sitting at the table behind them to hear the latest gossip that had occurred at the company holiday work party. 

Luffy gazed out the window, staring out onto the snow capped mountains with a pensive look, like he couldn’t bear to look Law in the eyes as he hesitantly asked, “Do you think we're gonna make it? Together.”

Law’s response was immediate, “I do.” He put his knife down, a bitter taste flooding his mouth, took a sip of his wine before he managed to ask back, “Do you not think we will?”

“No, I do!” Luffy rushed out in a breath, though his energy puttered out, hands falling limply to his lap, “I’m just worried, from what people have told me and the divorce rate with younger couples,” His hands curled into fists, admitting, “I don’t want us to fall apart.”

Law swirled the wine in his glass, staring at the spinning vortex instead of his husband, “What makes you think we will?"   


“Don’t get me wrong,” Luffy began, “Loving you is the easiest thing that I’ve done and I don’t regret anything but I’m afraid that once we’re finished with this honeymoon, when we get out of this newlywed bliss however long we stay in it, when we come back to the real world we might get knocked on our asses.”

Law understood what he meant, so often it seemed like they were separate from the events of the world- beginning when Luffy had hidden from his family for over a year and they were insulated within Law’s apartment, the bubble of normalcy they had living an hour and a half away from Law’s murderous family- yet the world was changing around them, hurtling to a period of upheaval that their allegiances would throw them in the middle of, marriage was a hard transition for regular couples, much less a couple that had so many enemies and dangerous affiliations. 

“Besides, I’ve never loved someone for forever before,” Luffy continued, “It’s different for you, you have an established career, you’re in your upper twenties, you’ve been through your growth, you’re set but I’m...” Luffy sniffed quietly, “I’m not even sure who I really am besides being your husband and that’s not gonna, it’s not-” With a groan he ran his hands through his hair, “I’m going to grow up more and change, I’ll never stop loving you, but what if the pieces that hold us together don’t fit anymore?”

There was nothing in the world that could stop Law from reaching out to take both of Luffy’s hands in his because his husband looked dangerously close to tears and they were supposed to be celebrating, he was supposed to be happy and smiling so wide it looked like his cheeks should be hurting, it wasn’t supposed to be his heart that was hurting. “You’ve heard what people say about us, I know you’ve heard it too. Doesn't it mean something if so many people say things like that?”

“Other people don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about.” Law interrupted heatedly, “If they’re not me and they’re not you, then they don’t what the hell they’re talking about. Who gives a shit about what they think, they're not us.” He made sure that their eyes were locked together so Luffy could see the truth burning in his golden gaze, “We are all that matters, because it is our relationship, it’s our marriage. Don’t let what they say or statistics get in your head.” He was pretty sure his grip on a normal person’s hands would be painful at this point but Luffy’s hand grasped him back with the same desperate strength, “You keep loving me and I will keep loving you and together we face whatever the world throws at us.” He blinked quickly, eyes hot, “I can’t say that we’ll always be happy, cause that’s just not how life works, but we will always have love and that will be enough to get us through.”

Luffy nodded in agreement, a few tears slipping down his red mottled cheeks, lips pursed together, “I know, I know we will.” He withdrew his hands from Law’s to swipe at his face, looking embarrassed, “I don’t know why I brought this up, it’s silly.”

“Hey,” Law hurried to soothe, “You know I always want you to talk to me. If you’re worried about us having marriage issues, I can tell you the first thing that’ll get us is a breakdown of communication so please, talk to me about everything.”

Luffy snatched up a blackberry from the cheeseboard with a huff, “I know you do but when I do say things like that, I feel like I’m questioning our relationship even if that’s not what I mean.”

Law nodded sympathetically, “I understand and your concerns are perfectly legitimate, sweetheart, I want you to tell me through because it’s better than letting them fester inside of you. Believe me when I say that I know you well enough to distinguish between your worry and your grievances.” 

When Luffy didn’t look convinced, he grinned pleased with his own intelligence. “Fine, let’s make a pact right now, an addition to our vows.” Luffy looked at him inquisitively so he continued grandly, “As a married couple, everything in our lives is to be shared: all of our past, our food, our money, cars, pets, clothes, the covers at night,” He teased, “Every chore, every plan, every decision, every memory, every story, and every second from this day forward.” 

“Everything?” 

“Everything.”

“Can it be everything minus one?” Law blinked in surprise, not expecting to engage in negotiations while Luffy explained, “We tell each other everything except for one secret that we get to choose and there can’t be any more questions or prying, it stays secret forever without guilt.”

Law considered the arrangement, rapping his nails on the tabletop. Luffy already knew everything about his past, his vices and his work but there was one thing that could benefit from this provision, “My arm. The circumstances surrounding it and the occurrence itself, I would like that to stay private.”

Luffy’s eyes widened then narrowed, he was both curious and protective by nature and it was a miracle that Law had managed to keep the truth away from him until this point. He thought that perhaps it would be a deal breaker yet after a deliberating moment Luffy agreed, “Okay.”

Luffy’s eyes went flat, that hauntingly dead look they gained sometimes, “I don’t ever want to talk about the six days between when I found out and when I was at Marineford again.”

That made Law lean back in his seat as he pondered the pros and cons of consenting to that idea. On one hand it was only fair that Law agreed, that was the whole nature of the deal to get to choose their own secret and not have to face anymore questions about it. On the other hand, this was a very serious thing to agree to. 

While Law’s incident had triggered a set of nightmares and anxiety, it had only happened two months ago and he had been making steady progress with his arm and mental state since. It still hurt, it probably always would but he was regaining mobility and dexterity in a great strides. As for who did it, Law had resigned himself to pretend as if the whole incident had never happened, treating Doffy the same way he always had because he knew if he tried to act out there would be reprehension and it would probably be in a way that Law couldn’t recover from. He could deal with nightmares and fake cool nonchalance as long as he needed to to get what he wanted. 

The secret that Luffy was asking to keep was something that Law deemed worse than a psychopath cutting off his arm in a maneuver to test Law’s loyalty to their ‘family’. What Luffy was talking about was six days worth of terrible events, one after the other that Law had only been able to speculate about but he had tended to Luffy’s body afterwards, he had put his body back together with stitches, staples and prayers; he had seen the reports from blood work that showed excess adrenaline and other traces of foreign substances. 

The experience should have killed him several times over and two years later Luffy was still dealing with the consequences, his episodes had gotten less frequent but they still flared up violently, throwing him into a headspace that no one was able to break, witnesses him during one of the intrusive memory episodes was frightening and Law always had to choke down his own emotions to tend to Luffy and make sure he was as safe as possible until he became cognizant again. 

There was a good chance that by agreeing to this, Luffy would see it as an opportunity to put the issue to rest for good and never bring it up again to anyone which was a dangerous gamble to make. Would it be better to continue with their method of trying to prevent attacks, ignoring nightmares and never bringing up the events, hoping that in time it would naturally start to hurt less, happen less. Or should he insist on the intervention of professional help? But then again as much as Law couldn’t go to a therapist and talk about what had happened with his arm unfiltered without fear of legal retribution, neither could Luffy talk about what had happened in the events preceding and including his brother’s death. Did he know any therapists who were on the other side of the law like them, who he could trust for confidentiality and ask to speak with Luffy about what had happened, would that even work? His husband was notorious about acting outright instead of wasting time to think, his brain-to-mouth filter was almost nonexistent, he wore his heart on his sleeve proudly which meant that his insistence on not bringing up the topic spoke volumes about just how horrific it must have been for him.

He spent so long thinking that the final course was served, a marzipan and valrhona chocolate cake served with vanilla cardamom ice cream. He began to eat mechanically yet Luffy sat there, his plate untouched as he waited for Law’s answer in anticipation. 

As Luffy’s husband he had an obligation to guard Luffy from whatever could hurt him, mentally, physically, emotionally it was Law’s job to keep him happy and healthy. With those guidelines could he justify a negation of the deal, indicating that he wasn’t operating on equal terms and push the issue which he knew from experience caused Luffy pain.

Reaching a decision, he wiped his mouth delicately with a napkin, “Alright then, we’ll both keep our traumatic experiences to ourselves but these choices can’t be overturned which means if we both already invoke our right to secrecy that it can’t be used later.” He grinned, extending his left hand to shake, “From this day forward any thing that happens is not kept from the other, no matter what. It’s you and me forever.” 

Luffy reached out to grasp his hand, having also offered his left hand so it was less of a handshake and more of a clasp, their wedding rings making a soft clink as they touched. His fathomless eyes flashing with excitement at the thought of their shared future, shining with a deep love, “We’ll do it as an alliance.”

“Deal.” 

* * *

Once again, it was as if the whole world had joined together in celebration. The sky was a dark stretch, illuminated by a canopy of stars and the full moon that reflected on the water. The ocean was an endless midnight blue, spanning farther than the eye could see, calm despite the snow falling down, flurries carried around by the sea breeze. 

A lone ship was sailing out, a small luxury yacht containing about fifty people including staff, the top deck decorated beautifully with fairy lights and a large 20x50 clear tent so they could still see the scenery while being covered from the snow. The tent had a chandelier hanging down, draped with white fabric and huge garlands made of white and blue hydrangeas, delphiniums, white roses, hydrangeas, stephanotis blossoms, nigellas and white wisteria along with seeded eucalyptus and lamb’s ears. There were a few eight seater tables and a dance floor though there was far less dancing going on then mingling. In a corner of the tent, backed by a whole wall of blue and white flowers was a white loveseat positioned next to a two-tiered wedding cake surrounded by three types of cupcakes. 

The whole evening had been intended to act not as a recreation but as a celebration shaped by recollection. Few details had been copied exactly and they had forgone making it a huge production by shortening their guest list significantly, transforming the event from a full on party with four kinds of entertainment to a more mature gathering with only two types of entertainment. There was influence of the original night everywhere from the desserts served, where they held the party and the flower crowns they wore which were replicas made from pictures. On a nearby table were stacks of photo books, each meticulously dated, and a large coin collection display stand, proudly displaying the original ceremonial coin and the subsequent ones from the anniversaries that followed. 

There was alcohol flowing from a custom carved ice luge and Law was well into his sixth glass, whether his tolerance had diminished over the years or because it felt like he was so lost in the throes of love that  things were slightly hazy as he sat on a plush loveseat, dressed in an exquisite white three piece suit that was brocaded with black and gold thread in designs of swirling hearts and flowers with a black button up. He had on his flower crown and the necklace he had gotten to hold his wedding ring that he had layered with a silver and gold bridal choker. 

The love of his life was sitting beside him, flower crown in his thick hair too and hat hanging from it’s string, absolutely gorgeous in a black jumpsuit that’s bell sleeves and high collar were made of black lace, hugging his form in a manner that made Law excited even all the years later, the pant legs flaring out showcasing the tips of his boots. He had a light gray wool shawl wrapped artfully around his shoulders, his cheeks a rosy color, his kaleidoscope eyes shining in the darkness. He looked as regal as any king, resplendent in the same golden jewelry he wore on their wedding day, coupled with matching chandelier earrings and a solid 22k gold belt that settled heavy on his hips that had oval moonstones and diamonds which cost more than a new midsize SUV, all glittering in the fairy lights.

Luffy is nestled against his right side, their hands entangled and Law has been running his fingers over his husband’s rings in a well-versed manner. They normally went through life in a state that a good deal of their friends and families call sickeningly sweet yet Law can’t recall a day that he floated through as much as this day, almost intoxicated by the presence of his husband at his side, mind centered only on him and the years that have led to this moment. 

Their closest thirty-five companions are there as guests, mostly family but there are a few notable friends and beloved coworkers. Everyone is having a good time, eating and drinking as they talk, circulating around the tent, clustering in groups that are filled with laughter. They’ve been mostly leaving Law and Luffy alone, satisfied after they had made their rounds during dinner to talk to everyone. They haven’t cut the cake yet and Law knows soon enough that Sanji will come to pester them until they get up so he can keep up with his own serving schedule.

Their peace is interrupted at the moment when, despite both being in their mid-twenties, their children come over to sit in their father’s laps, both laughing as they collaborate on a theory they deem important enough to present to their parents. 

Their children came in late to their lives, the first being during their twenty-fourth year of marriage and the second one coming only sixteen months after that. The long delay between their marriage and the two births had started from wanting Luffy to experience more of adulthood himself before he became a parent but later it had been solely on Law, deflecting conversations about the topic that Luffy had initiated, terrified of the thought. Luffy had understood his fears and together they had fought tooth and nail so that their children could be born into a better world, a world where they could be free, their whole lives made up of joy and love. 

Now, with their twenty-four year old daughter, sitting primly in his lap in a beautiful evening gown and their twenty-six year old son bouncing in Luffy’s lap like he was a toddler all over again, Luffy entertaining their shenanigans in that gentle way that made the lines around his eyes seem sweeter, Law couldn't even imagine living without them. 

“We looked at the photos and great-grandpa Brook looks exactly the same as he did at your wedding.”

“There’s no other explanation!”

Luffy shakes his head as he looks at their marine biologist son and neurosurgeon daughter as if he regretted all the money they spent on their college education if it meant still leading to this conversation, “You know, that’s not true.” 

“We are right! The pictures are proof!”

“Father! Tell Dad that it’s true that great-grandpa Brook is an immortal.”

Law considered the idea, thinking back to the day he met Brook and how old he seemed then yet he was here today, producing the same wonderful music with his violin that he always had. He looked at the expectant faces of their adult children, his husband who was biting back a laugh, “My medical professional opinion:” He paused for dramatic effect, “He is.”

Their children cheer and Luffy shoots him a teasingly-reproachful look, Law decides the best move is to stand up and retreat to the dance floor. He slow dances with Tama first, reminiscing with her, then with Baby who regales him with tales about her grandchildren. He’s dancing with Robin, exchanging dark jokes in hushed tones about maritime disasters, when Luffy comes over to whisk him away. 

All these years have only made their dancing better, countless nights in clubs, at events and in their own kitchen has made them so in tune to each other that when they dance it is as if they are music themselves, weaving around each other’s bodies as if they are notes of a symphony gliding off the page, each their own separate entity but coming together to make something beautiful, a masterpiece far greater than their individual parts. 

They dance together for a few songs then in proximity of each other as Sabo and Koala cut in to separate them, before giving them off to Zoro and Kid. Law almost gets into a fight with Kid for old times sake which makes Luffy laugh from where he is caught in the span of Zoro’s arms. Sanji has them cut the cake and Law has to once again plead that cake not be smashed all over their expensive clothes, getting icing smeared all in his beard for his troubles that he has to use a wet cloth to clean up, grumbling to Marco about the incorrigible nature of his husband who sometimes act more childish than their own children. Marco, for his part as another person who had fallen in love with one of the brother trio, helpfully points out that was one of the reasons why Law loved him, Law begrudgingly agrees and follows up by shoving Luffy’s entire face into the top tier of the cake when Usopp had conveniently distracted him by pointed out some details. Luffy blinked in surprise, his dark eyes the only really distinguishable feature amongst the white frosting, he had burst into laughter, forcing Law to kiss him, their lips sweet and more frosting getting into his beard, while Sanji fumed the whole time, but it was fine with Law, he was used to life being messy by now. 

As it drew closer to the midnight hour, Law and Luffy solemnly removed themselves from the tent. There were eight paper lanterns hanging in a place of honor near the bow of the ship, the original five plus an additional three- one that was eventual, another that was inevitable, and the third which broke their hearts. They released the lanterns one by one into the night sky, letting them float upward to glow against the velvet night. 

As they watched the lanterns disappear into the vastness, fireworks started to shoot off in the distance coming from the harbor, in celebration of the new year that had arrived with the stroke of midnight. Law smiled at the world around them, as their friends and family cheered, turning to Luffy to remark, “That’s fifty down.”

Luffy looked up at Law with tears in his eyes though he was beaming widely, wedding rings shining on his hand as he pumped a fist in the air in jubilee, “Here’s to another fifty!"

Law was skeptical, “I don’t know about that, I’ll be a hundred and twenty-seven and I’m pretty sure by then my virile will be gone and I’m basically useless to you after that.” Luffy shoved his shoulder with a laugh before grabbing his lapels and dragging him downwards into a breathless kiss. 

They wound their arms around each other to keep them close as they exchanged kisses, illuminated by moonlight and distant fireworks, exploding in the air as vibrantly as the love that was pouring out, brought about by the press of their lips together, etched into their very bones as long lasting as the union between the sea and sky. 

They weren’t going to live another fifty years but he was eternally thankful for every second they did have during the last fifty and was going to treasure every moment left that they did have. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it folks, we've come to the end of our wedding fic. It was a long winded journey but one I think was worth it, we all need some love to end and start the years with and if we have to project on Law and Luffy so be it. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who read, left kudos and commented, as always I appreciate the support and it really does help keep me motivated to produce quality work for you all. Your interest in this series is what keeps it going and I love to hear your reactions and thoughts in whatever capacity. (Special shoutout to both @a_demon_soul and @sarge1130 for championing the fic, between them I think they left over half of all the comments on this fic.) 
> 
> As you might have guessed from all the hints that I've left along the way, for sure in the epilogue, and the way that Part 1 was formatted, there's a plot going on here and I'm excited to tell it.  
> I'll be back on Monday, January 18th with Part 3. Until then you can find me on Tumblr at https://living4lifessake.tumblr.com/ Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for all of the support and I'll see you tomorrow!


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